Matilda Leggings from Spit Up and Stillettos

I’m pretty sure I mentioned earlier in a post about my Core Wardrobe that I would never wear leggings. I loath that people wear them as pants and I did leggings (stirrup pants back then) in middle school so…

So here are some leggings I made. Yup, never say never. In September, I joined in a challenge from the facebook group, Sew Alongs & Contests to sew four coordinates. For the challenge I made the Matilda leggings, a skirt, the color blocked Tonic 2 Tee you see above, and a self drafted wristlet. (Watch future posts for details)

The leggings were made to wear under skirts, but are already in heavy rotation around the house as a slightly less frumpy option then wearing my pjs past 10am. (Ah, the problems of a stay at home mom)

Just a few thoughts on the Matilda Leggings pattern:

This pattern is seriously short in the rise. Without the 3in waistband you’d be a little indecent. I added 1in to the front and back rise and will add another 1/2in to the back rise next time.

I made a straight medium according to my measurements, but am feeling a little like a sausage around the rear end, so a little adjustment is needed there. There’s also a little extra room around the calves to slim down.

Caption: Earlier photo shoot with longer hair

If you are tall you’ll need to add some length to the legs also. I’m 5’4 and the length is perfect for me. I measured the inseam at about 27in.

I picked up 1.5yd of this fabric from the red tag shelves of Joann Fabrics. (Of course I can’t find it online to link you) The right side is a grayish blue with a faded denim look. I used the wrong side, as it was so much cooler and in my Core color palette. I’d say it’s a medium weight knit with good stretch.

Caption: I thought I set the..

These went together so quickly I was a little stunned. How often do you get a project done, cut to finish, in one hour? Bonus: At my height, I only used half of my yardage, so plenty left to make the Tonic 2 Tee (to be blogged later) and more.

The Matilda Leggings should take you one hour to complete.

Fabric $8   Pattern $Free    Total Cost: $8

Jalie Drop Pocket Cardigan for Core Wardrobe building

Holi-Daze week for my Sew Long Summer sew along was a bit of a challenge sewing wise. I was hoping to make a big batch of tees or undies, but it just didn’t happen. Weekends are not where I get my sewing time, so I just barely finished the Jalie cardigan I was working on to show off with my sewing tips post.

I’ve had the Jalie Drop Pocket Cardigan on my list since I saw Jamie’s last December. I’ve also been seeing Hacci knits around and wondered what they are like to sew and if using one would give me a warmer cardigan. The jury is still out on the warmth; it’s not quite cardigan weather yet. I purchased my Hacci sweater knit from Girl Charlee during their July 4 sale.

A little about the pattern. Jalie patterns come on a large sheet for you to trace off and include a huge range of sizes. The seam allowance on this one was pretty narrow at 1/4inch. Since I was using my serger I was ok with it, but otherwise I would recommend you think about adding more of a seam allowance as you trace. The pattern is put together to enclose as many seams as possible, because of this there were points in the instructions that I definitely would have been lost without the diagrams, so have both handy.

The pattern is a fabric hog, needing four of the front pieces shaped like a big “L” so the pocket part folds over the front. With stripe matching and my best pattern Tetris skills, I got a size U for 36in bust out of 2.25 yards (60in wide).

Hot Tip: Check your length before you cut. The pocket does not allow for much to be just cropped off the bottom if you forget.

Working with the Hacci sweater knit was very similar to working with a jersey knit; a little rolling at the edges but no fraying. I had some trouble getting the tension adjusted on my Janome 4618LE sewing machine to handle the stretch of the Hacci, but had no problem using my serger for the majority of the construction. I would think twice if I only had my machine to use.

Jalie’s Drop Pocket Cardigan should take you about 3.5 hours cut to finish.

Fabric $9      Pattern $ free     Total $9

Burda’s Asymmetric tee for Core Wardrobe building

This shirt really was rollercoaster experience for me. At first site I was pretty crazy about this top. I mean come on; black and white, stripes, asymmetry, mod styling. In true fashion I had to think about it, wait for the pattern to go on sale, and find the perfect fabric. Still very excited about it.

Burda 01/2014 122

Then, fabric ready and pattern printed, hesitation set in like no tomorrow. I was concerned this would be too long and the funky shaped pattern pieces did not lend themselves to getting a good measure of the finished product. I’m on the shorter side (5’4″) and really did not want a too long top, which could easily happen with this design. I also wanted this top to be more fitted so the gathers weren’t too droopy.

In true Burda fashion, pattern details like finished measurements and instructions are of little help or non-existent, so I would have to make guesses at getting a good fit. After a few days of hemming and hawing, I just dove in. Still unsure. Hoping I wasn’t wasting this great fabric.

Let me include that I downloaded the pattern, so I did not have the advantage of the better sewing instructions that are included in the January 2014 magazine.

I  used my size, a 40,  but did not add a seam allowance (they are not included in the pattern) I serged with a 3/8in seam allowance. Success number one, it’s fitted but not tight.  I shortened the pattern by removing 2.5in from the bodice hem line and 3in from the sleeve length. Success number two is a length that is working for me. I tried to stripe match between the sleeve and bodice but used a point that ended up under the arm. I should have lined up the stripes at the top of the sleeve. Stripe matching was a bust but not really a big deal.

A few more details:  I gathered the sides with a basting stitch, basted clear elastic tape on top of the gathers, then serged the side seams. I serged the sleeve seams then inserted them into the bodice. One sleeve connects with a gathered part of the bodice. I pinned the sleeve in, then gathered that part of the bodice to fit before serging in that sleeve.

I did a neckline insertion by sewing in an 18in neckband loop into the 21in opening. I hemmed the sleeves and bodice by folding up 1in secured with a stretch stitch.

I used a cotton/spandex jersey knit in Midnight Navy/Heathered Gray Stripe (no longer available) from Fabric Mart.

Burda 01/2014 #122  should take you less than 2 hours.

Fabric $13*   Pattern $5    Total Cost: $18

*I include shipping in my calculations

Jade Skirt from Paprika Patterns for Summer Crush week

Meet my Summer Crush, the Jade Skirt from Paprika Patterns. (LinkUp your Summer Crush here)

My interest was piqued last fall when the Jade came out, but it wasn’t until spring that I decided what fabric to use. Thanks to #sewlongsummer the Jade is finally taking up residence in my closet. I can really see this being a key part of my Core Wardrobe. The length is good for summer and paired with some colorful tights will be cute in fall and winter too.

I used a  Maggy London ponte from Fabric Mart for the shell and a cotton jersey from Girl Charlee for the lining. I’m very pleased with both fabrics for this project. The ponte is a good quality and the jersey has the right stability needed to support the folds on the Jade. The color is not as saturated on the jersey as I would like, so it may only be used in supporting rolls in other garments.

The pattern is not as difficult as those front folds make it look. There’s a tutorial video and a practice sheet to make sure you can do the folds correctly. I watched the video a couple of times and followed the tip to use colored pins and had no trouble with the folds. In fact, I got it on the first try.

Once you tack down those folds, the rest of the construction is elegant in its simplicity. The instructions include options to add an exposed zipper or an elastic waistband. I didn’t need to do either.

The Jade Skirt should take you about 3.75 hours cut to finish.

Pattern: $7      Fabric: $9    Total: $16

Throwback Sew Days with Butterick 5029

Me Made May was quite a spark for me to continue evaluating my wardrobe.  I had already paired down my closet and done a little work with the Wardrobe Architect series, so taking pictures and trying to make outfits during MeMadeMay was a logical step in continuing the process. So, while digging through my closet for me made clothes to wear,  I was confronted with my decision to save anything handmade from my initial paring down session.

Frankly there’s stuff in there that doesn’t get worn much. My solution is to trot it out for all to see and ask you to chime in on it. And hence, my Throwback Sew Days posts begin.

First up for evaluation is this Butterick 5029 dress I made a few years back. It’s a cotton in an almost tribal print detail.

My evaluation: At the time, I modified the front cross over portion of the bodice to cover a bit more. You can see I wasn’t quite successful. I have more coverage but it’s too wide where the ties cross my shoulders. I think putting in a little tuck will make it more narrow at the shoulder and may help with the gapping at the bust. The waist yoke is also a little too wide. I should have adjusted it more for my short waist. There’s no fixing it now.

I go back and forth on if this color is flattering for me, it’s pretty close to my skin tone.

So what do you think? Is it a keeper or should I put it in the upcycle pile?

Charcoal Shorts S1430 for Core Wardrobe building

I got lucky with a good fit on my Cobalt Shorts using simplicity 1430, so I decided to make one more pair in charcoal to fill out the shorts portion of my summer core wardrobe.

Too bad luck doesn’t strike twice. I used a reversible bottom weight in a poly blend from Joann’s. Its a classic and more dressy looking fabric, but I had a harder time with fitting since it has no stretch.

Here are the shorts almost done.

There’s a little pulling across the front and gapping pockets. From the side you can see the too tight seat is pulling at the hip which is distorting the front.

I let out the center back seam as much as I could for only a minor improvement. I was too lazy to unpick the side seams for a little more help.

Yeah, not as slimming as one would hope. I guess rear pockets may be in order the next time I feel daring enough to try pants or shorts again.

A few details:

Simplicity 1430 view D size 12. The pattern calls for 1 1/4yrd. For both versions I made used closer to 3/4 yrd.

I narrowed the leg by grading the width at the inseam from 5/8in at the crotch to 1in wide at the hem.

I spent a little extra time cutting out each piece individually to make sure the stripe of the fabric was lined up properly. I used a printed quilting cotton instead for the pocket facing to reduce bulk. (The wrong side of the fabric was a hounds tooth, interesting)

I made a small position adjustment so the top of the zipper would not peak out like on my last version. Next time, I need to take into account that a little wider zipper overlap is needed when using a thicker fabric.

Simplicity 1430 view D should take you about 6 hours.

Fabric $12*   Zipper $1.50*   Pattern from stash    Total Cost: $13.50

*Price after using discount coupons.

Cobalt Shorts Simplicity 1430 Core Wardrobe part 7

I took a small jump into making pants by starting with a pair of shorts. I got really lucky that these ended up needing very little alteration, and a good thing too, since I have no idea what I’m doing on that score. I hope my next try later this year will go so well.

These shorts are Simplicity 1430. I saw Erica B work up a pair that looked really cute and took a chance. That was last September.

Things were going pretty well, I had just enough of this cobalt cotton sateen to eek out the pieces, I used this cotton batik from my stash for the pocket lining and it turned out cute,

fit was looking good as I tried them on frequently, I think I almost nailed the fly zipper,

then… I attached the waistband and everything got shot to, well you know.

Yikes

Sorry, should have given you warning about that pic.

I altered the width of the inseam seam allowance by grading it from 5/8 at the crotch out to 1in at the hem line. I don’t have skinny thighs, the pattern was just bulky there for me. I resewed that back seam many times trying to get a better fit on the bottom and just could not make it work. So my solution was to park the shorts in my UFO pile.

Now that spring is upon us, I decided just to finish them off and hope I lose a couple of pounds so they will fit better.

I don’t know why they fit better now, I don’t feel thinner (I don’t weigh myself), they just do. Lucky for me. Bonus, these are in a color I’m leaning toward for my core wardrobe.

A few details:

Simplicity 1430 view D. I thinned the leg width at the inseam and added 1in of length. This was my first try at a fly zipper and other than the zipper peeking out a bit at the top I think I did a pretty good job for a first time. I used a blind hem stitch and it was the right call with the cotton sateen.

I’d make this pattern again for shorts, but I think I’d have to thin out the legs too much for the pants version. I have another pattern I’m going to try for my first leap into pant making.

Simplicity 1430 view D should take you about 6 hours.

Orange Zip Skirt Simplicity 2451

Vintage 1972 Zip

Dots Maze Sateen

I came across this vintage zipper from my grandmother in my stash and thought I’d use it as an exposed zipper in a project. I was drifting off to sleep, often when inspiration hits me, when I thought about pairing it with this cotton sateen I saw at Joann fabrics.

I was hoping this knit red top would be a natural outfit, but meh, I’m liking it much better with this blue blouse.

I’ve sewn up Simplicity 2451 view B in the past and really like how it fits me, so I chose view D feeling confident on a good fit. I had to lengthen the back darts an additional 3/8in for a better fit, but nothing else needed alteration.

A couple new techniques for me on this skirt. I sewed the exposed zipper using this tutorial from Pattern Runway as a guide, next time I might try to figure out how to encase the end of the zipper tape for a nicer interior finish. I also used a stretch lace hem tape for the first time. I wanted to avoid the bulk of a double folded hem and keep as much length as I could. The tape worked perfectly.

Overall I’m pretty pleased with my Orange Zip skirt. The fit at the waistline and hips is spot on. On the down side, the cotton sateen is a bit stiff at the front pleats and poofs out a bit more than I’d like, but that’s not going to stop me from wearing it.

Awkward arm posing

Here’s to more stash busting. I used a pattern, zipper, and hem tape from my stash.

Simplicity 2451 View D should take you about 2.75 hours to complete.

Peasant Blouse from MellySews, Core Wardrobe part 6

Ahhh, spring wardrobe sewing is so glorious. Color and breezy materials are what I’ve been missing. I am very ready to say goodbye to thick fabrics, layers, and wearing socks to bed.

I happened upon this polyester charmuese at Denver Fabrics a few months ago and thankfully got enough yardage to make the Peasant Blouse from Melly Sews. I’m thinking a red like this will be one of the main colors for my Core Wardrobe.

I was a bit nervous about working with this kind of fabric for the first time. My strategy: keep it sharp and pin the stuffing out of it. I made sure my rotary blade was sharpened, used a brand new Microtex needle, and pulled out my “good” sharp pins.

I took the sewing pretty slowly to keep those slippery edges neat and to make sure my machine didn’t eat the fabric. I also spent a lot of extra time making French Seams to containing the fraying edges. The neckline is finished with bias binding that also is the casing for elastic. The sleeves and bodice are finished with a fold over hem.

The Peasant Blouse is a free pattern from Melly Sews blog and her post gives some really good tips on how to style a peasant blouse, just the kind of hand holding I need. The instructions are streamlined since they are given in a blog post as a tutorial, so some sewing experience is assumed. I had no problem with the instructions, but did have a little wonkiness along the neckline where the sleeves met the bodice front and back. The pieces just did not match up to make a smooth neckline. Operator error? Beats me. I just smoothed out the line a bit when I attached the bias binding.

The instructions recommend 23-26in elastic length around the neckline; 23in made a pretty high neckline and pulled the sleeves a little snug at the underarm. 28in of elastic for the neckline worked best for me and gave a little more room at the underarm.

I used elastic thread for the first time on this project. I hand wound the elastic thread on my bobbin, used the longest stitch length on my machine, did a test, and added one row of shirring 1/2in from the sleeve hem.

This project took 3.75 hours to complete. I’m guessing half that time was making the french seams. Working with a fabric that does not require the french seams would cut down your time.

Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Purple Polka Dot Bag-ini

I think the Itsy Bitsy part is apparent. The finished bag is about 5.5in X 6in.

When I first saw this tutorial for the Day Out Purse I barely gave it a look, but returned to it as a good option for an upcoming trip.

This project suffered from my attention being divided between another project and a disruption in the family routine. I Do Not multi-task well. Trying to steal a couple minutes at a time often meant the tablet with the instructions was elsewhere, I goofed on the placement of the magnetic clasp, and I cut the pocket piece incorrectly. Nothing fatal though. I was able to improvise solutions and looking at the instructions got me on track.

Pattern Comments: The instructions have you make a 30in strap, I needed 50in to make it an over the shoulder bag. This bag is SMALL, but easily modified to be larger. The card pockets are awesome but the large pocket takes up too much real estate in this small purse.

The end result is a streamlined bag that is just right for my Day Out plans on vacation.

No new fabric was cut in the making of this project. I used up two pieces of my fat quarter collection from my former quilting days. About a hundred to go.

This project should take you a couple hours.

Rose Tshirt from Blank Slate Patterns; pattern review

Theres nothing like purple to make me happy and to help break out of the basic colors I’ve been using to build my Core Wardrobe. The first of much more color to come for Spring and Summer, is my version of the Rose Tshirt from Blank Slate Patterns.

Body is more of a plum color like the accent pieces

 

Likes:

• The gathering at the front adds some nice ease through the body without making it baggy and I did not need to size up at the hips like usual.
• Great pattern for a little stash busting of those quilting cottons I haven’t touched in a while.
• The contrast options at the neckline draw the eye up and away from the tummy and hips.
• I like inserting sleeves flat.
• Theres a full facing on the front to cover up all those seams.
• The pattern can easily be made into a dress with just a little grading for the hip/thigh. (The pattern has been re-released to include a dress option)

Criticisms:

• The seams at the front of the arm scythe are pretty bulky with three layers there. I’d recommend using a lighter weight fabric for the front facing to reduce the bulk.
• The arm scythe at the front curves in toward the center front a bit and causes some pulling. I’m not going to spend time to adjust the pattern as I’m only planning to use this pattern again for a sleeveless version.
• I determined that the triangle shape marking on pattern piece#6 needs to be moved by 1in down toward the center front to make the two front pieces #6 and #5  line up correctly. I purchased my pattern from a store, perhaps the PDF versions in the Blank Slate Patterns webstore have been corrected.

  

  Corrected marking in Red

Suggestions:

• Go down a size if you’re between sizes. I’m a 35.5in bust and the small sized for up to a 35in bust has enough ease for me.
• Understitch the facing around the neckline to prevent rolling, before top-stitching the front facing below the front yoke.
• Use a lighter weight fabric for the front facing if possible, this will decrease bulk at the arm seams. Alternately, grade the seam allowances if you’re not using a serger.
• Check your pattern pieces.
• Lay out your front yoke pieces as demonstrated in the instructions to help keep track of what goes where.
• I use stay tape at my shoulder seams when sewing with knits.

The Rose Tshirt takes about 3.25 hours to complete.

Bucket Hat and Rohan Hoody, a taste of warm and cool weather

This month I planned ahead to participate in Kid’s Clothes Week and Sew Your Pattern Stash. That planning was worth the effort, but I still missed the KCW deadline by a mile. Oh well.

KCW challenges you to sew one hour a day for one week as an encouragement to sew up clothing for kids. This season’s theme was upcycling. Awesome, I have two sacks of items waiting for a purpose.

First up, the reversible bucket hat, a free pattern from Oliver + S; utilizing an old tee and a button down from daddy. We’re taking a sunny vacation soon, so a brimmed hat with an absorbent lining was just the ticket. It came out well except that my little one whips it off his head immediately.

Second project in line was the Rohan Hoody from Crafty Kitty. I upcycled a purple tee and used some remnant sweatshirt fleece from my stash. I modified the pattern to include a zipper front. I simply added 1/2in to the CF to be the seam allowances for the zipper and cut out as two pieces (instead of one piece on the fold). I also used a seam finish (pictured later) to give the neckline seam a neat look.

Even though I planned ahead pretty well, I came to a stop midweek when I decided the hoody needed a purple zipper to go with the lining of the hood.

Since I had a little extra time to work on this before I could get out for a matching zipper, I used more of that purple tee to cover the seam at the neckline.

I also added an edge finish to the hems on the sleeves to peak out when the cuffs are rolled up. I made this hoody a couple of sizes too big so the little one can wear it more than one season, so I’m sure that detail will make an appearance.

So, here I am all finished well past the official KCW, but so what. I have two items my little guy needs, I used up fabric from my stash and used patterns I already owned for the Sew Your Pattern Stash challenge.

The bucket hat should take you about an hour to make.

The Rohan Hoody took about three hours to make.

Ann T Top from Style Arc; Core Wardrobe part 4

Today I’m working on building my Core Wardrobe and participating in Sew Your Pattern Stash 2015. I’m hoping to work through more of my unused patterns this year.

The Ann T Top pattern is from Style Arc. Their size chart suggested I should make a size 10, but after flat measuring the pattern I used an 8 instead and a 3/8in seam allowance instead of the 1/4in allotted. I was drawn to this pattern because of the draping across the tummy area, while still appearing to be a fitted tee.

The pattern instructions would be too sparse if you’re a novice, for example there is no instruction on how to use the clear elastic to create the gathers on the front or how to insert a neck binding. If you’ve sewn knit tees before, there is nothing here to challenge you, other than using the clear elastic to make the gathers.

Perhaps the fabric I used, a rayon jersey knit, affected the draping, perhaps I need to go down a size through the waist and arms, but I found the overall fit still needs some work for me. I was wanting more draped folds across the tummy, instead it just bags out a little and the arms are too baggy, but these fit problems are easy fixes. I  think I’ll adjust the arm width and remove the front gathers to make this a TNT pattern.

This project took 2.75 hours.

This is the last fall/winter Core Wardrobe piece for now. I’m turning my focus to spring/summer in hopes that I can get a few items done to wear when the warmth returns.

And, so I can feel a sense of accomplishment here’s what I made for my fall/winter Core Wardrobe:

Tonic 2 Tee

Jasper Sweater w collar

Jasper Sweater w hood

I’m counting the Kirsten Kimono Tee as a head start on my spring/summer Core.

Kirsten Kimono Tee

I’m feeling the itch to take a break from making the basics I need and these basic colors. I have a couple projects lined up that I think will lift my spirits with some color.

Jasper Sweater by Paprika Patterns; Core Wardrobe building part 3

I was pleased as spiked punch to participate in pattern testing for Lisa over at Paprika Patterns for her second pattern release, the Jasper Sweater. Check out her first offering, the Jade skirt.

And Ta Da my two work ups of the Jasper.

I love how it looks. It’s not too boxy and slouchy as some sweatshirts can be and the welt pockets keep it looking trim at the waist. I also like that the collar isn’t too big. I like a cowl, but not a big fan of them draping all down the front of my shirt.

The epaulet is attached by sewing on the button through the layers. I may remove it or reposition it down a bit.

Ah, you just have to love what a princess seam can do for your shape.

This was my second go at the Jasper, following the pattern without modifications. For the cowl version above, I sized up to a 4, but should have stayed at a 3 from waist up.  I used a French terry with about 15% stretch that I found on RaspberryCreekFabric. I just love this fabric.

Bonus! This fits perfectly into my core wardrobe needs.

The Jasper pattern calls for sweater weight fabrics with minimal stretch. I worked up the hooded version below first, in a size 3, in a sweatshirt cotton poly blend with no stretch. In this fabric, it takes just a little wiggling to get it over my shoulders when taking it off. This one may go into my etsy shop. (So, I sized up on the second version. Shouldn’t have though, since the second version used a knit with stretch. whoops)

I followed the instructions as is and did use the suggestion to topstitch down the interior seams around the neckline and within the hood.

Look at the asymmetry and buttons at the collar, that’s always a big draw for me. The hood is pretty big compared to most, think: no terribly messed up hair.

Lisa made modifications the pattern after I made my hooded version and again after the cowl neck version. So the final pattern may be slightly different from what you see here.

I’ve used a variety of pattern downloads (PDFs) from indie pattern designers to the one offs that other bloggers kindly share and Paprika Patterns are by far the best I’ve seen. It’s like they took a little peep into my mind and addressed all the things that annoy me about pattern downloads. I appreciated the efficient layout and a printing guide so you only print the pages you need. Paprika Patterns also has links for help on construction steps and tutorials for pattern alterations.

I’m thinking I need to make the Jade skirt from Paprika Patterns too.

Kirsten Kimono Tee by Maria Denmark Core Wardrobe part 2

Back to building my core wardrobe, for now anyway. I’m at a bit of a block trying to figure out what to make while trying to find the right fabrics for the few things I do have figured out.

Today’s tee is using the Kirsten Kimono Tee pattern from Maria Denmark. The pattern is free when you sign up for her newsletter.

I just loved this subtly printed knit when I saw it at Joanns (can you see the foil chevrons?) and bought 1.5yrds without a specific plan other than to use it for a Core Wardrobe piece. It’s a light weight knit, so I opted for a short sleeve tee for the summer months and chose the Kirsten Kimono pattern to keep trying new designers and silhouettes. The fabric is very transparent so be prepared to wear a camisole underneath if you get this same color.

The only draw back to the pattern was having to add a seam allowance to the pattern pieces. Kind of a pain. I didn’t look at the pattern directions, so I can’t give a review of those but I do think this is a great fit and style, well worth making. I would make this again with a small adjustment to make the hip a bit wider for me. This may become a Go To pattern for me, I hate shirts being tight under my arms and the kimono sleeve is just right for me.

The pattern calls for less than 1yd of fabric, so at 60in wide and 1.5yrds I had enough fabric to make two size smalls. If your fabric shrinks more than mine (only 2in in length) you might not have this luck. Now to figure out who gets the second small my etsy shop or a Christmas gift.

Hmm, I’m wondering if I need to start doing a sway back adjustment?

This project took 3.75 hours for the two tees.

Teal & Black Tee

As far as sewing for myself goes, I took a little break from Core Wardrobe pieces to work up an idea I had for a modified version of the Tonic 2 Tee by SBCC.

I really like asymmetry in clothing, so I modified the neckline a bit to make it interesting. I used a bit of the left over black knit from my original Tonic 2 Tee as the neckline trim, waistband, and cuff bands.

I removed 3 inches from the lower bodice and added a 3in band in the contrasting fabric. From the sleeves I removed 1in in length and added back a 1in band. I measured my new neckline length and subtracted 15% to get my new neckline trim piece. That math worked well. Next time I’ll make the neckline trim a little wider and make the shape of the neckline opening a little more like a crew.

I’m pretty pleased with the result. This go around I made the small and the fit is so much better. Other than the narrow neckline band, it really came out pretty close to what I was imagining.

SBCC Tonic 2 Tee Core Wardrobe part 1

My first foray into building my core wardrobe is a long sleeve tee using the SBCC Tonic 2 Tee pattern.

I can only think of two items that I’ve done using a knit and one of those was a complete nightmare. This time I’m going in ready for success powered by sewing blogs.

Melly Sews suggests using the lightning aka wobble aka stretch stitch on knits so the seams can maintain the fabrics stretchable quality. Lladybird uses a walking foot so both layers of your knit feed through evenly. The Tiramisu Circus has a nice post on stabilizers for knits.

First off let’s talk about the pattern. It was free so that’s great. Instructions are super easy, though I modified the neckline procedure. The instructions have you apply the neckline trim while one shoulder seam is still open, then tacking down the trim after the shoulder seam is closed. That seamed sloppier than I want, so I did it the old-fashioned way of inserting the circle of trim into the closed neckline. Even if you follow her instructions your left to guess how much to stretch your trim so it will lay flat instead of gaping. A little guidance there would be nice. I had a little gaping that I had to press the heck out of, but it practically disappeared after washing. I like that the pattern calls for self fabric for the neckline trim.

My first seams, the shoulder seams, incorporated all three of my knit fabric firsts; walking foot, stay tape, and lightning stitch. Other than the fabric getting munched on the first couple stitches almost every time, things were working to plan. When I attached the neckline trim though, I found that the stitch length was so short that it was going to take forever to get this sewn. I did a few tests to try to figure out the problem and didn’t have my aha moment until I was half way through attaching the first sleeve.

My solution? Sulky Solvy original water soluble stabilizer that I bought forever ago thinking I’d make one of those lacy thread scarves. So glad I didn’t cause I stopped thinking those were cool after five minutes.  I started laying down strips of this stuff on top of my fabric and it helped my walking foot get enough grab on the top layer to move things through and give me the stitch length I was expecting. Wrapping a bit of this stuff around the beginning of my seams also helped with the afore-mentioned munching.

So here’s the results.

I chose to make a medium since I was between sizes and I’m sick of tees that are too tight under the arms. Next time I’d definitely go with the small as I have plenty of room here. I took off 1.5in from the bottom before hemming and this tee is still on the longer side. Overall I’m not displeased with the tee but not terribly excited either. I’m holding judgement until I make this again in a smaller size and can make a couple of adjustments. I think I’d like a smaller neck opening and I’d like to figure out how to pinch out those folds between bust and underarms.

This project took a surprising 3.75 hours. Using the walking foot and fiddling with the stabilizer is just slow going, but worth it to get those seams to play nice.

So I’m wondering if its worth all the time and effort to make something so basic. Would it be better to keep looking for RTW tees that fit? But that would mean clothes shopping.

Snuggle Time. Winter PJs for the little guy.

I’m trying so hard to plan ahead my sewing projects instead of reacting to the “oh no, we don’t have fill in the blank” moments. A couple months ago, I pulled out the box of 2T hand me downs I have for the little guy to get things into circulation and figure out what we still need. Somehow we always seem to need winter pajamas. Victory! I still have time, I have go-to patterns (Vintage Vneck and Clean Slate Pants by Melly Sews), and I have just barely enough fleece in my stash.

To start, I had just under 1/3 square yard of each of the two colors of the fleece. It took some arranging and rearranging to get the pattern pieces to fit that small area. Adding a blue side stripe and waistband was the perfect solution for not enough fabric for the pants and to tie the two pieces together. I cut a 4T instead of 2T width on the top to adjust for the fleece not being as stretchy as a knit. I made the V-neck opening a bit wider to account for this also.

Look, there’s a Robot!

The pants went together so easily, hurray!

The top went together so easily until the neckline. Oh man, I just could not get the point of that V without a pucker. So let’s try it on and see how much it shows. AAAARRRGG! It doesn’t fit over his head. I can laugh it off now, but this quick and easy project was already taking on problem child qualities pretty fast.

I can dance like a robot.

Alrighty take a breath, I had just enough of a scrap to make a placket opening instead. Back to the sewing table. I used the instructions from the Prepster Pullover as a guide to add the placket.

The top took 1.75 hours plus an additional hour to add a placket.

The bottoms took 1.75 hours.

(Not counting all my pattern rearranging to make it work on my limited fabric)

Kids Clothing Week 2014…my plan

Allrighty, its my first time participating in a sew along of sorts. July 21 through 27 is Kids Clothing Week where participants are challenged to sew 1 hour a day for 7 days.

Here’s my ambitious plan. Ambitious because I have a toddler that has decided to boycott naptime of late and because I several ideas but have not been as OCD about making sure I have the materials to complete these projects (running off to the fabric store is not as easy as it used to be).

Okay now for my plan, lets see how I actually do.

Project One: Boys Basic Blazer from Blank Slate Patterns

I’ve made pants and a tee from Blank Slate Patterns before and they are a dream to use. I actually have all the materials I need for the blazer except for the buttons. I have a pretty good stash of buttons, so I have high hopes for this project.

Project Two: Winter PJs. Bottoms using Clean Slate Pants by Blank Slate Patterns; Top tbd.

Here’s my version of the Clean Slate Pant.

I have some charcoal grey and robins egg blue fleece in my stash to use up for the pjs. I have just enough charcoal to make the pants without pockets if I use a bit of the blue as a side stripe and I’m hoping enough of the blue to do a simple top. I give this project about 50/50 chances.

Project Three: Activity Station/Seat Saver

Something like this from 8th Day creations.

Not that we have a super fancy or even super clean car but it grates on me when I hear my little guy’s shoes sliding against the back of our leather seats. I’m hoping something like this will be great for little guy and nerve saving for mommy. I have no ideas on what fabric in my stash to use or what kind of pockets I’ll need. This will definitely be a winging it project. I’m NOT a wing it type of person so maybe not so nerve saving for mommy. I’ll give this one 50/50 also. I don’t think it will be difficult to execute, once I figure out fabric and a basic plan.

Project Four: Monster in the Pocket sweatshirt.

I’m thinking a basic long sleeve sweatshirt with a large zip pocket across the tummy. The pocket lining would be black with a couple friendly monster eyes peaking out.

mahlicadesigns is now at Thread: A Denver Handmade Consignment Boutique

Were you able to guess what’s up from last times little teaser?

Folded Front skirt in navy w/ orange

I’ve been working on a small selection of Folded Front skirts to go on sale at Thread in Denver.

Medium Folded Front skirt in Navy w/ yellow

The Folded Front skirt is a high waist wrap skirt that features draping across the front and interesting folds at the button closure.

The waist line can be folded over to reveal the colorful lining, and why wouldn’t you want to do that since it plays off the buttons so well?

Small Folded Front Skirt in Navy w/ Cornflower

I used these three coordinating cotton prints from my stash for the linings that peak out at the waistline. Each skirt is still one of a kind, but there is also continuity that will display nicely in the store.

Check out my new labels.

Check back next week for a little more on Thread.

Want a sneak peek?

I’ve been working on a project for the last week or so. Here’s a teaser until I can reveal more.

Curtain Challenge

I just finished up some curtains for my brother-in-law and sister-in-law. They purchased an older home, built long before the modern love of closets, so they built a closet into a small alcove in their bedroom and will hang the long curtain panels as the closure.

The challenge for me was that the fabric provided necessitated that I sew two pieces together vertically to make each panel. So, how to make a long vertical seam line look intentional? I thought about how to use the narrower vertical piece as an accent or border in some way, but honestly did not want to invest the amount of time needed to design and execute some sort of fabric painting or printing.  I landed on an idea to use running stitches with embroidery thread, and sketched out a simple geometric pattern that I thought would work with some of the southwest and Ikat design elements and colors in the room.

I also wanted to use this project as an opportunity to try French seams and mitered corners, techniques I had not used before. These took a little longer but definitely made the finished project much nicer.

The Clean Slate Pant

Thanks to a lot of hand me downs and grandma volunteering at the thrift store, my LO is pretty well stocked for clothes. Gone is the idea that I would make most of his wardrobe, but thankfully there is opportunity to fill in some gaps. This week I worked up some trousers using the Clean Slate Pant pattern from Melly Sews and used a linen with a greenish cast and a green checked cotton from my stash to do it.

LO seems to out grow his pants in length long before the waist, so I modified the pattern just slightly to add a contrast cuff that I could fold up to start and then fold down as LO gets longer. The pattern includes a 1.5in hem allowance. I reduced that down to a 0.5in seam allowance and added a 1.5in finished cuff instead. Supper cute and a great idea. Its too bad I didn’t check the finished length on the pattern to see that they would be way too long for my little shorty. Whoops.

To add extra sweetness and to tie in the contrasting cuffs, I used the same green checks for the pockets. The project took me two and a half hours all together.

This is the second pattern from Melly Sews that I’ve used. I’d recommend her patterns for sure. She gives clear instructions and has good pictures to help you along; plus she’s an indy pattern maker.

I originally pulled out this linen to make a sorbetto dress for myself, but as pale as I am its not a good color for me to wear. I’m pretty tempted to go ahead with the dress and use the green checks as bias tape trim on the inside neckline. Wouldn’t we be such a cute mommy and son pair? I should stick to my first thought though, since he’ll outgrow these pants in a blink of an eye and I’ll still have a dress that makes me look washed out.

The Blank Tank

Melly Sews first offered her Blake Slate Basics pattern set about two years ago, just at the time we found out that we would have a baby boy.

I’m so glad that I bought the Blank Slate Basics as a set, they really are a great value. Melly has really put together great instructions and pictures. I’m already lining up more projects to use her patterns for my little guy.

I’ve worked up the blank tank pattern by upcycling one of my husband’s too holey tee shirts. I can’t think of a better use for his old tees than to make this so easy to put together top for baby.

 Thanks to lots of hand me downs and grandma’s thrift shopping, LO already has a full summer wardrobe for this year. Thinking ahead (how unusual), I made the tank for summer 2015 in a 3T. Plenty of room to grow into.

Hedgies Double Snuggle baby quilt

I just finished up another double snuggle quilt to add to my etsy store.

I was immediately drawn to the hedgehogs and little brown bears. Oh my, aren’t they so cute?

If my little brown bear didn’t already have so many quilts, I would keep this one for him.