Zinnia Skirt in Sand Washed Navy Tencel

This may be the most expensive object I’ve made….. and it is worth EVERY penny!!

This is (finally) my finished version 1 of the Zinnia skirt.  At some point I had vowed to make this skirt and promptly spent way too much money on this fabric (according to my husband, but what does he know!). The fabric then proceeded to sit in my stash for over a year
It is sand washed tencel….. and HOLY SHIT it is like butter!
I mean look at this:

That was just a slight breeze 😉

The fabric came from Mulberry Silks…. which is were ALL my good fabric comes from!  They told me specific washing instructions….which I promptly forgot 😦  After some Googling, I decided to pre-wash it in the machine and handwash it for all subsequent washes.  I am usually pretty hard on my makes (machine wash ALL the things!), but I’m trying to be better about that

The buttons are pretty awesome!  They are made from corozo or tagua nuts….. otherwise known as vegetable ivory.

This company is neat- everything is made in Brooklyn and although there is a minimum order, they have some pretty gorgeous buttons.

Construction was fairly simple and straight forward.  I busted out my new edgestitch foot for this…. and holy crap is that thing AWESOME!  I used it on practically everything, including, but not limited to: the pockets, the button placket and the waistband.

I decided to leave the pocket flaps off, because they just seemed un-necessary.  Also, pockets!!

I used French seams throughout, which coupled with the button placket makes for a very clean finish inside (which I forgot to photograph… you’ll have to take my word).

I cut this in a size 16, which was a size up from my usual size 14 for my two previous Zinnia skirts. I figured since my old Zinnia’s were getting a bit snug I should size-up….. and I was wrong 😦  This actually turned out to be a bit big, I probably should’ve stuck with my original size

But it still works!  And of course what this means is I can’t lose any more weight 😉   …..in fact I should really have some extra cookies and ice cream to ensure a better fit 😀

If you recall I ran into some trouble with a mystery stain…. that is still a mystery, I have no idea what the fuck that was.  But true to everyone’s assurances they did come out with the first washing 🙂

And there you have it!  All I need now is to make Version 3 and I’ll have the Zinnia trifecta!

Works in Progress XVII….. aka Sewcation ’17!!

When I lived in Charleston my sewing friends (Jen and Elizabeth) and I would get together for marathon sewing days with food and alcohol…and sometimes even actual sewing 😉
When I (and later others) moved away we kept in touch via text and email- asking questions, getting opinions, sharing finished objects and often lamenting the distance.  One day while sewing all by my lonesome it struck me that we should get together for a sewing weekend…. a Sewcation if you will 😉

After much planning, coordinating of schedules and driving we met up at my parents mountain cabin in western North Carolina (heck yay free accommodations!).

There was lots of sewing, knitting, cross stitching,…. cursing, and a surprising amount of wildlife!
Due to a variety of reasons the cabin had sat empty for over a year and a half and had since been occupied by a whole lot of mice!  They would appear every night around 8 or 9pm….. which came to be known as “The Mousing Hour”.

I managed to catch and release (a fair distance away from the cabin) three mice.

Because we were in the mountains and both Jen & Elizabeth live on the coast, there was a fair amount of hikes.  We were able to see lots of various animal tracks, including, deer, turkey, and ….. BEAR!!

Now, between all this gallivanting with wildlife there was some actual sewing!

After the weekend, I am very nearly done with my version one of the Zinnia skirt….despite trying to sew the button placket on backwards!

A little quality time with Buffy the Seam Slayer.

I also have some mysterious stains I somehow managed to acquire.

I left my cut pieces out and when I woke up in the morning I had these weird white marks that almost seemed like sap?  Everyone is assuring me it will come out once I wash it and I’m trying not to think about how many tears will be shed if it doesn’t 😥

Jen brought a bunch costumes she’s working on for DragonCon….. and got a LOT of stuff done!

Though she too managed to wind up spending some quality time with her seam ripper when she sewed some leggings backwards 😉

Elizabeth managed to sew both a super cute bag and refashion a thrift store shirt.  She also made some progress on a super cute cross stitch of her dog 🙂

I did not have any photos of Elizabeth sewing, so here is one of her exploring an abandoned mica mine from our hike.

So, there you have it!  Plans and schemes are already in the works for Sewcation ’18!!

P.S. Elizabeth took all of the photos of the lovely scenery and wildlife.  She is currently running an animal rescue and they are raising funds for heartworm treatment for one of their newest rescues.  If you’ve got some extra money think about donating here.

Outfit Along 2017….Update

Ah, The Outfit Along…. I decided I was going to do this almost on a whim… because I am in fact crazy    But I had the perfect fabric for the Kim Dress and had been itching to try princess seams.  So, I immediately got to work on…. the sweater portion!

I wasn’t sure I really liked the Anaheim sweater that was the official sweater pattern, plus I wanted something the would take my dress firmly into colder months (Winter is coming you know).  So, I chose Andi’s Miette pattern!
Not only is it a free pattern, but I’ve actually made it before!

Which I’m hoping might give me an edge in actually finishing this by the deadline…. I wouldn’t hold your breath though!

I had some issues with the fit last time I made it…. but of course made no notes as to what size I did or anything useful like that
So, I decided I would actually properly swatch this one!

L to R: US size 8, 9, and 10

I ended up going with the middle swatch- US needle size 9 and size large in the pattern.  I used this knitalong from WAY back in 2012 to help me with gauging and picking the proper size (as well as Row 25)…. it is quite helpful and I highly recommend it!

In terms of the Kim Dress….. I’ve, uh…. bought the pattern?  In point of fact, I just bought the pattern, because I wanted to at least be able to say I’d bought the pattern for this post   I actually spent an inordinate amount of time trying to see if I could find an old printed copy to buy, but alas people are hoarding those 😦

However, I refuse to print and tape this shit together!  So, I’m taking this opportunity to price the local Kinkos.    If that fails I’ll certainly be using Cashmerette’s excellent resource guide on how to cheaply print pdf copyshop files 🙂

Me Made May Musings…. plus Works in Progress

So, my first Me Made May is officially done!  I missed a couple of days taking pictures and had a few Me Made Underwear days, but overall I’m calling this a success!

 

Things I learned!

1. It was actually not as hard as I thought to pull this off!  Yes, I had a shit ton of repeats… but overall I was able to do it!
2.  A surprising gap I have in my wardrobe is casual, weekend wear!  I’ve got work appropriate skirts and tops pretty well covered, but I have ZERO me made causal bottoms to wear on the weekends.
3.  Along the same lines as point 2.  I have NO me made pajamas…. or rather to be more precise-  I have no me made pajamas that don’t have a giant rip in the butt because I’ve gained like 20 lbs since moving 😦
4. I have a small collection of me made items that are just not in regular rotation at all for a variety of reasons.
5.  I look much better in pictures when I stand up straight…. but don’t tell my mother, she’s been harping on me for years to stand up straight

So… moving forward I have a rough plan for some causal makes, some pajama makes, and maybe even finally giving the Ginger jeans a crack!  I did after all shell out $50 for the class!!

Works in Progress

In other news,  I’m hoping to finally finish the Violet I’ve been working on….

All I have left are the buttons and button holes…. this should be a whole hell of a lot easier with my new machine 😀

And in keeping with my whole being more active in the online sewing community I will be participating in the Outfit Along!!

Yes…. I’ve never participated in a Sewalong…. I’ve never participated in a Knitalong…. I’ve never even finished a sweater in less than 8 months, but I’m doing the Outfit Along….. WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG?!?!

But seriously, I have no illusions that I will be able to finish this in two months.  I’m just hoping to do the dress and get a decent start on the sweater…. I’ll do a more full-ish post on this, including the sweater pattern (hint it’s not the official sweater pattern) and the dress 🙂  So stay tuned!

 

 

Me Made May- Week 4.5

The last week in May! Woohoo I made it through!!  I’ll return next week with my thoughts regarding an entire month wearing at least one handmade item each day…. but until then:

Day 28: Ah yes… more Grail t-shirts!

 

Day 29: Memorial Day!  The original plan was to sew…. but instead I got distracted by container gardening.  And yes EVEN more Grail t-shirts…. plus RTW jeans that are on it’s last legs 😦

 

Day 30: What’s this???  A “new” dress?  This is actually an old dress….that I hardly wear It’s the Crepe wrap dress by Colette patterns in lilac gingham seersucker.  It’s good dress/pattern, just a bit too cutesy for regular rotation.

 

Day 31: Last day! Ending strong…. with more Grail t-shirts! 😀  Hooray!

 

And thus ends my very first Me Made May 😀

 

Me Made May – Week One

My first Me Made May week!! It was surprisingly easier than I thought. I realize now I’ve basically been wearing a good mix of handmades and RTW for a while now…. So, so far this hasn’t been that much of a stretch 🙂

Day One: This is the second Peony I made and my very first hand-knit sweater.  Both makes are pre-blog.  I’ve thought about doing a TBT post a la Sometimes Sewist for some of my pre-blog makes 🙂

Day Two:  Cat!  This is my blue pin-dot Zinnia Skirt and the first Vesta Grail t-shirt 😀

Day three: More Grail t-shirts!! Prepare to see these A LOT.  With some RTW jeans…. someday I will make my own!

Day Four:  Yes, EVEN more Grail t-shirts.  This is with an H & M shirt I quite literally got in college- it was technically too big when I got it and now it’s borderline too small

Day Five: Apologies for the terrible lighting.  Queen of Hearts Moneta….. also Cat!

Husband: You look cold in the picture.  Me: That’s because I am cold!! It’s freezing!

Day Six:  The husband was home, so I decided to change it up and make him photograph me.  This is my knit infinity scarf, it took a turn for the cold and I had to bust it back out 😦

So, there you have it! Week one of Me Made May is in the books, hopefully I’ll be able to keep this up!

Green and Navy Knit Moneta…. aka Moneta Part Deux

I thought briefly about not posting the same patterns back to back and then I said screw it, it’s my blog I do what I want 😛

Yes, mere moments after I posted my last Moneta, I immediately got to work on my next one!  I first re-traced my pattern in my correct size large- and boy howdy, it is amazing how easy and quick this pattern goes when, you know, you pick the right fabric and size!!  With the right size this basically fit straight out of the envelop!

You can see in addition to changing up the size I added a collar!  I used some left over green knit Robert Kaufman fabric I got forever ago and just barely managed to eke out this collar with some clever tetrising (i.e. I COMPLETELY ignored grainline!)

Because the back overlap wouldn’t lay flat I threw a few hand stitches in there to force it to lay flat.  I had some difficulty with the front of the collar too.  You can see in the photo above it wants to roll up.  I tried clipping the curves and understitching it, which I think actually made it worse.  It’s not that big of a deal.  I’m sure I’m the only one who notices the width discrepancy between the front center and the shoulders of the collar, but any suggestions would be appreciated

The body of the dress is a Navy interlock from Jo-ann’s…. yes, east Tennessee got a Jo-ann’s and I’m super excited!  At any rate, back to the fabric itself- it’s pretty decent and with my 20% off coupon, plus 30% off knits you couldn’t beat the price.  However, I’m a bit nervous that it’s already starting to fade.

I used the twin needle again to hem the skirt and sleeves and threw some green thread in there to match the collar 🙂
Things went a lot smoother this time and the hump between the stitching lines isn’t as bad either.  Maybe the twin needle isn’t actually the anti-christ afterall!?!

P.S. I may, or may not, have spilled food all over my new dress mere moments after these shots were taken
But that’s ok- I’m already plotting my next Moneta…. this pattern may be the Grail t-shirt pattern for 2017 (FYI: I made that pattern 7 times in 2016!)

March is the last month for Allie J’s Social Sew 😥  The theme this month is anything goes… and hopeful that includes repeat sewing patterns!

Works in Progress XV…. knit all the things!

I’m back!  Yes, one month into 2017 and I’m already falling down on my goals to be more active in the online sewing community
In my defense though I’ve become a bit more politically active!

And hey, bonus!  Handmade outerwear in the wild!

Unfortunately, my sewjo has taken a dive.  I’m still half-heartedly working on the Carolyn PJs…. but what I really need to do is get in there and try to organize that space in general.  Hopefully, another trip to IKEA will be on the horizon soon! [This will the second trip to IKEA, the first time we went they were out of key items I needed for the sewing room 😦 ]

You’ll notice I didn’t even bother to take an updated photo!

On the other hand, as is usually the case, my knitting is on fire!

Around Christmas I frogged my Armande sweater and started over…. I may or may not have thought I knew better than the pattern directions and may or may not have been promptly proven wrong

I’ve made A LOT of progress since then though and have already lapped my original “this is fucked I need to start over” point.

I’m also still plugging away at my arm warmers….but I’m getting kinda bored with them and am thinking of moving them to the back burner.

I definitely see how people fall into the second sock (in this case arm warmer) syndrome 😦

So…. I’m finally getting started on a scarf for the husband!  Aaannnd tackling another 2017 goal– unselfish knitting/sewing 🙂
With a little luck I’ll finish it in time for next winter

Year in Review/Shit for 2017

It’s that time of year again! Yes, when I belatedly talk about last years past goals and future goals for the New Year…better late than never I say!

Sewing Highs!

2016 was the year this really became a SEWING blog.  It wasn’t a conscious decision, it seems I just stopped posting about gardens and cooking after the move

This year I got another mention from Colette Patterns!!  This is becoming a yearly tradition… and I LOVE it!

Another sewing highlight was participating in Allie J‘s Social Sew not once, but twice!  Which was a lot of fun 😀

2016 Goal Assessments!

• Knit a sweater…..

I….uh…. started one, and technically I started it twice

• Knit and sew more winter things:
  
  

  

  

  

  

  

  I’m slowly, but surely building up my ‘Winter is Coming’ Wardrobe…. but I definitely need more!
  I, unfortunately, discovered it’s very hard to sew for winter when it’s 90 degrees outside

 

• Sew new patterns…. so…. this was a partial success.  I did indeed sew all new patterns this year….
  
  

  

  

  

  I just…uh… sewed the same new pattern SEVEN times

 

• Sew and knit more in general:
  
  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  I’m calling this a FULL success! This year I made : 7 shirts, 1 summer dress, 2 swaddling blankets, 1 baby onesie, 1 cowl, 1 scarf, 4 pairs underwear, 3 Stowe bags, & 1 cape!  21 items!!!  For reference sake, I made 12 items last year 🙂

 

2017 Goals!

• Put together the sewing room!

  

  I’ve been sewing (and living!) out of boxes for over a year now and I’ve finally reached my limit!  This is the year the sewing room gets put into good working order!

• Participate in the sewing community more!

  I really enjoyed the Social Sew this year, I’d like to try to participate more in that.  In addition, I think this is the year I finally participate in Me Made May 😀
  I may also try to find a sewalong or knitalong to join, but I’m really shit with deadlines 😦
  I’ve also been toying with the idea of joining Instagram from a while now…someone just needs to explain to me how to use it!

• Continue to sew and knit more!
  I want to keep this momentum going and sew & knit EVEN more in 2017!  I definitely need to continue my ‘Winter is Coming’ wardrobe… ’cause that bitch has arrived and I am still freezing!

  

  I also may try to do more unselfish sewing and knitting… my Mom has requested a skirt and my poor husband has been promised multiple knitted items I have never followed through on.  [Although to be fair, he has promised me multiple woodworked items he has never followed through on!]

So, there you have it!  Continue to check in here to find out if I actually follow through with any of these goals!

Ohhh Lulu Grace Panties in Chevron!

…plus more Rosy Lady Shorts, but that’s slightly less exciting 😉

Yes, it’s Halloween and what could be more frightening than my underwear!!

Actually, what truly is frightening is that after making the Rosy Lady Shorts FOUR times I realize I had been making them all wrong!

And also that elastic lace has a wrong side and a right side….who knew?  Evidently, I didn’t really read the directions at all when attaching said lace and just short of winged it.  Surprise, surprise- they fit much better when you apply the elastic the right way!

These are made out of the leftover scraps from my Grail T-shirts…. and they are soooo comfortable!

I also gave my first crack at Oh Lulu’s Grace Hipster panties…. I used leftover scraps from my Grailed Renfrew and my Hawthorn dress.  When I realized they had you cut the woven fabric on the bias I got adventurous and tried a chevron pattern 🙂
This merely involved adding a center seam on the front and back pattern piece.

It looks very pretty, but will probably not hold up in the long run…. after only one wearing you could see the poor little threads straining at the center seam.  Oh well, live and learn!

I was hoping to finish my Carolyn PJs in time for Allie J’s Sew Social….but yeah… that in no way is going to happen!  However, that didn’t stop me from buying fabric for my next pair!!