it's that time of year again!

Woohoo! I just wanted to take a few minutes and talk about my FESA plans for this year. Due to my current time constraints, I'm keeping it simple this year, and only committing to a handful of projects-- after all, I also have a little Halloween costume that I've been mentally planning since, oh, last Christmas. So here's what I'm hoping to accomplish...

Fashionable Foundations for Frosty Weather 
I have fabric that I think will work to finally try out the Cake Espresso leggings in two different colors, though after the disaster that was my last attempt at sewing leggings, I'm definitely double checking the stretch first this time! Assuming all is well, I plan to sew the black pair, because that will go with nearly all of the skirts I own that currently fit.  I'm most likely to wear them as tights with boots. (Honestly, based on my initial fiddling to check the stretch, I think this fabric will be too see-through to use them as anything else!)

Fabulous Frocks
For the third year in a row, I am putting the Megan Nielsen Darling Ranges dress, in this very fall-appropriate rayon challis print, on my list. And I am determined that this is the year I'll actually make it, dangit!!! After all, it looks like the perfect style for postpartum and nursing. I have managed to get the pattern traced, the fabric cut out, and the darts sewn so far. So third time is the charm, right?


Baby It's Cold Outside
This may be cheating, since I've been working on this particular project for over a month already. But I've been knitting a cowl (the Wine Country Cowl) out of some bulky yarn that I originally bought as the top part of a sweater that I've since abandoned the plan to knit. I could not figure out the very first steps of the pattern at all, and decided I didn't like how the two yarns coordinated after all. "I can't wear wool" substitution problems strike again. Anyway, I'm over halfway done this cowl, I think--it's been one of my methods for coping with Hobbit's penchant for napping best when on my lap and leaving me chair-bound for long stretches of time. Sadly, I think that my plan to use up the entire stash of this yarn isn't going to work out, given its current length. Any suggestions for what else I can do with one or two balls of this stuff?

The nice thing is that if I finish all three of these projects, I'll have one complete outfit! If I can get those and the costume done and still have time left, I have a fairly substantial mental list of additional projects that I could add in. But since I am unsure at this point what the greatest needs in my wardrobe will be, or what I'll be most motivated to work on (SO important right now), I'll just see how this goes first.

fabric fail

I was so excited for this project. So to say I'm a little disappointed in the outcome is an understatement. But, since I believe that the fails should be documented along with the victories--mostly so I don't make the same mistake again later--I'm going to share the sad story of these leggings anyway. Slippers, ridiculously lightened photos since it was the only way I could show the seams, and all.

(Hey, from this angle, I don't look pregnant at all! Anyway.)

The pattern is the Manila leggings, from the current month's issue of Seamwork magazine. (Doug bought me a year's pattern subscription for Christmas, which made me very happy since the whole point is quick projects, and I'm going to need those in the coming months!) I had one pair of maternity leggings, which I've been wearing instead of tights under the few skirts I have that fit. So I was quite happy to see this pattern and give the leggings-making thing a try, given that I just wasn't in the mood to play connect-the-dots on my Espresso pattern to try and get a fit when I wasn't sure what standard to use for the waist/I'd have to modify it anyway. The pattern itself is pretty simple: front piece, back piece, cute petal-like cuffs for the ankles, waistband, done. I knew I'd be altering the top to add a panel for the growing belly, but aside from that, I thought this would be a quick, straightforward make.

But I made two mistakes right away:

1. I didn't realize that my chosen fabric--a cool denim-looking knit that I got on sale at Mood when I was making my last online purchase there--didn't have enough stretch to work for something like this. Honestly, why would you make a knit that stretches more cross-wise, when basically every single pattern ever made would have you cutting so it stretches horizontally? Especially for something that's pretty much screaming to be some kind of bottomwear. But still. I should have checked this more closely.
2. I also didn't realize that, even though there is a full-length view shown in the pictures, the only view included in the pattern was the cropped version. Leggings that only come down to my upper calves are absolutely useless for anything but exercise wear. Especially this time of year.

The result? Yeah, not quite so chic as I hoped. It took so much hacking to even get these to the point where I could pull them on all the way! (And sorry for the weird looking-down pictures-- I just couldn't get the seaming to show up well enough in the others.)

What I probably should have done with the legs was add the extra length around the knees first, and then add the extra width so the stripe would be unbroken. But I did still have hopes that once I managed to get the leggings all the way around my calves, the cuffs would add enough extra length that I could get by with my boots. Didn't happen. Neither did seam-matching, despite multiple efforts and a lot of seam ripping.  Ugh. It honestly got to the point where I was so fed up with them, that I didn't even bother with the cute cuffs (which I wasn't sure would stretch around my legs all the way anyway, given the way things were going) and just cut a strip to give them a sweatpants-like finish.

I was hoping that this would give me another color option to wear with skirts, though I'm not sure why, since the only skirts I have are black, denim, or that long teal one that would hide them anyway. (I'm generally of the school of thought that leggings are not pants, the fabric on my store-bought pair is way too thin for that, but for the sake of these photos, I'm wearing them as such. The things I do for the blog.) I'm not going to say they're a wadder yet, since I can wear them on days I don't have to leave the house, like today, and save my jeans for the days I do, but they're definitely not a project I'm proud of.

On the plus side, the maternity panel alteration seemed to work great. Especially once I went back and cut a new panel on the cross-grain so it would actually stretch. (Yes, I know it's not really a cross grain for knits.) It does make me feel a little better to know that, at least in this, my pattern hacking skills are beginning to improve.

I do have a decent-sized remnant of this left, which I think is probably just enough for some kind of babywear or undies, though I wouldn't even try the latter until things are back to more of a normal state. I.e. I'm not being told to put on a pound a week. But essentially, this takes 2 yards out of the stash, for a total of 6.25 yards out so far this year.


Speaking of kid stuff-- we had our ultrasound on Monday, and I know the gender now! So I cut out a simple baby outfit last night, am hoping to get it all sewn up today, and my next post should be me telling you all what we're having. Just warning you now, because this very well could be a double-post day.

One last, unrelated, administrative-type detail-- I've turned my Instagram into a private account, since it's at the point where more kid-type stuff will be going up and I don't want just anyone on the internet to be able to find it. I have still been posting a lot of crafty stuff on there, so if you are a friendly sewcialist (seriously, what other kind is there?) and want to follow, don't be afraid to send a request! My screenname there is different than my blog/Twitter handle, but I do have a link to the profile on the sidebar.

The last little unblogged bits of 2014

The good news is, I think I'm finally starting to get better. The constant nausea is going away, at least, but it's kind of hard to tell--just when that started letting up, I got slammed with a virus 2 days before Christmas! The doctor at the clinic called it "flu-like", and while I wasn't actually having stomach issues from it, I did have to spend the next 3 or so days fighting off fevers. Since then, it's just felt like a nasty cold. And hopefully without going TMI, when I'm really stuffed up, I easily get nauseous anyway. So I still haven't had a nausea-free day, but I'm hopeful that it's coming soon. At least I'm slowly able to start expanding my diet again--I can actually drink water and a little tea now, and I've been eating fruit in the form of smoothies. I may even be able to start cooking dinner again soon, and while I know that takes up time, when you've been living off of chicken noodle soup and cheerios for a few months, that's pretty exciting!

All that to say, I wasn't able to do much sewing for those first couple of days after I finished up at my retail job. Because that ended the day before I got sick, and I was feeling so progressively lousy that day that I couldn't even finish cutting out one of the projects I do have to show. But I did get that done on Monday, and then sewn up yesterday.

I'm going to start with some knitting today, since I recently finished this fairly quick project. The pattern is called "Magic Hat", and it's supposed to be so stretchy that it can fit a variety of sizes. I used some leftover bamboo-blend yarn that I already had, and knit this up in the 4-12 month size, since Hobbit will probably be about 5-6 months old when he or she will need a winter hat. I also didn't quite use up all of the yarn, and I'm rather tempted to see if I have enough left to add some Yoda ears! But the yarn is so drapey, I'm kind of afraid it wouldn't work.

The hat looks a little cone-head on the table, so I had to improvise on a model. My parents gave us a few Christmas presents for the baby, including this little stuffed German shepherd. So its ears seemed to be enough to make the approximate shape. Cute, right?







I do have a little sewing to show. I stitched up this first one back at Thanksgiving, but never posted it here. Just a quick refashion--my mom was getting rid of some unwanted pants, so I picked the zipper out of these corduroys, scooped out the front and stitched up what was left of the fly, and then added this stretchy panel. I know it looks kind of distressed brown in the picture, but these pants are actually black. I have another pair all cut up and ready to sew, save the panel, in navy blue. Hopefully I can knock that out soon, because I literally have two pairs of "work" pants (both black), and two pairs of jeans right now. And that's it. I swear I bought 3 pairs of jeans, but the one pair seems to have vanished without a trace!

And then yesterday's sewing project was these burp cloths. I promised Doug I'd make some hockey-related things, so I found this flannel print that has the logo and colors of one of his two favorite teams. I managed to use up about 2 yards of flannel on this, between the one yard of Penguins fabric I bought, and the solid black that I partially got for this and partially to back one of the geeky bibs I made earlier in the month. There's a total of 9 burp cloths here, and I know my mom has a stack of others for us, too.

I do have one more bib to sew up, since Doug also really wanted to help make one! So he cut one out yesterday and I'll be sewing it. I also need to fix a pair of pants for him ASAP, but then I'm hoping I can start sewing some clothes again! 

I did some quick looking over my spreadsheet to see what my final tally was for stashbusting this year! It looks like I started 2014 with about 340 yards in...and ended with 375. Oops. Granted, I did just buy about 20 yards of stuff to make diapers with, which will get used up in the next several months and accounts for the bulk of the overage. On the plus side, it looks like I sewed up close to 72 yards this year. And I did manage to use up about 27 pieces of fabric altogether. I think that's pretty good, considering that I spent the entire last third of the year unable to do much at all, between traveling and pregnancy sickness!

FESA plans!

It's that time of year again! I do love this sewalong, and this is the 3rd year I've participated. You all know how I feel about the cold, and my ironically wool-phobic skin doesn't help matters. (I say ironic, because since I got married, my last name now starts with Wool! Go figure.) So this is a great way to keep me focused and excited about making things to get me through the winter.

So without further ado, here are my plans for the next couple of months. I'm keeping things rather conservative this time, so maybe I can actually finish everything?

Fashionable Foundations for Frosty Weather: I have some stashed knit to try out the Espresso leggings, and I'd like to knock out a pair or two of them. Since woolly tights are a sad no-go for me, I think this could be a great way to keep my legs warmer for wearing skirts. (I wear boots with skirts a lot, so the no-foot-coverage thing won't be an issue.) Not to mention it's a layer I can wear under my jeans while I'm shivering my way through the last bit of October at the outside register at my retail job. (I have some black, too, but it's a much bigger bolt since I'd also bought this fabric with that aborted attempt at a Red Velvet in mind. Oh well. I can always use black knit somewhere, right?)

Chic Chemises for Cool Climates: The definite is that I'd like to finally finish up the Roheline cardigan that I've been knitting since August 2013! (Though I really didn't get it started until last September, since I had to restart no less than 7 times.) I'm so, so close to finishing the sleeves, which means I only have the yoke and buttons to go, so it's not unreasonable. Depending on how the time goes, I also wouldn't mind trying out the Archer blouse, since I didn't get to that in my summer plans.

Fabulous Frocks: I would like to do a Darling Ranges dress if at all possible, since the colors will be great for taking it into the winter. Also, I meant to make it last year, so it's time. I'm hoping to knock this one out next month, since The Monthly Stitch's theme is "Frocktober" anyway. I'll just need to find a layer to go over it--I have yarn to knit a yellow cardigan that will pair nicely with this, but there's no way I'll be able to finish 2 cardigans in this time span.

Baby It's Cold Outside: My old peacoat that I made in 2007 is starting to fall apart. Replacing that will be first priority! (Even so, 7 years, including the polar vortex of wintry doom that we had this past year, is not bad at all for my first me-made winter coat!) I'm hoping to play around with a few more tailoring techniques, but I'm using the exact same pattern as the first one, so at least fitting won't be an issue. I actually have started cutting this one out already, but since there's 4 layers involved, I'm still on the outside. (The black and white tweedy fabric has been cut, but I'm underlining most of the pieces with that greyish silk organza that's right next to it. And that's taking a little longer. Especially given that I haven't been able to touch it since Saturday.)

Other projects: I'm hoping to knock out a skirt before the end of the month, because a long-standing project I've been making for my sister-in-law is perfect for Scraptember! I may knit up a scarf, too, since I'm strongly leaning towards a one-skein project to take on my upcoming trip to France. (Next weekend! Eeeeee!) After all, I have a lot of plane/airport time, and at least 6 hours on a bus to get to Normandy and back, and I'm not sure how well my Kindle battery will hold up for a cross-continental flight. Also, I know from experience that I sadly cannot read on the bus without getting sick.  Maybe I'll have better luck with just keeping my hands busy.

I'm also beginning to plot out what I'm going to make for the Disney sewalong that Katie and I are co-hosting in November, but that project is still a secret!

once more with feeling

There really isn't too much for me to say about Thurlow pants by this time. But I finished one more pair yesterday.

This is pretty much the same fabric as the olive pair, aside from the color. For the inside, I used the same lining fabric that I used for the navy denim pair. I do have to say that after sewing two pairs at the same time, only doing one made it feel like it went so quickly! This one only took 4 days total, and I finished half of the sewing in one day. It went a little slower when it came to finishing details like the waistband and hand-stitching the hem.

I decided to play around with my color palette when choosing what to wear for these photos. Plus, I always desperately crave color this time of year anyway. The sun is actually out today, so that helps! The blouse and sweater are both thrifted-- I found them on the same trip, and I couldn't help but notice how well they went together.  I kind of love how in your face orange the cardigan is, even though I'm never really sure what to wear with it aside from this blouse and one other top that happens to have orange in the print! I haven't worn it in a few months, though, because black pants with this always felt a little too Halloween. But I think the grey works with it pretty nicely!

Decided to play around with poses here, too. Mostly to hide the shoes, which are less than ideal, but I didn't have many options since I know I'm going to have to trample my way through some snow later. Yeah, I look like I'm listening to "Twist and Shout". Anyway.

With this fifth pair, this brings my "pantsapalooza" to an end. I'm sure it won't be the last pair I make ever-- I'm in need of some more jeans, the pair of plain black pants that I've had since college has chosen recently to start dying (the fabric-piercing hook fell off). And I'm a little concerned about the longevity of the charcoal denim pair, since the fabric has already started pulling at certain seams! It's not that it doesn't fit--I think it's more the fabric, almost like it's a slightly looser denim weave. I've reinforced with extra stitching, and did a little thread-weaving on the back seam last night to try and strengthen that particular area. I will most definitely be keeping an eye on it. But for now, I am quite happy to move on to another type of project. Even though the two things I have planned next are also more on the involved side... stay tuned!

Pattern: Sewaholic Thurlow trousers

Amount of time it took to make: 4 days

Fabric used:Grey cotton twill from Fabric.com

Amount of fabric used: about 1.25 yds twill, plus .5 yards lining- 1.75 yards total

Stashed since: 2012

Current stash total: 336.5

It actually went up about 3 yards, because I made a couple of purchases last week-- 3 yards of something for my March of the Shieldmaidens project, to be revealed at a later time, and half a yard each of some cotton and some flannel for a baby shower gift that I'll need to make before sometime this spring. For Stash Diet purposes, the costume fabric is my "use 4 buy 1", since I used my travel exception for NYC, and the shower gift falls under gift exception, because guess how much baby-appropriate fabric I have? Pretty much none. Besides, I needed about $2 more of stuff to get free shipping. 

Thurlows so nice, I made them twice

Twice more would probably be more accurate. But I finally got to test out my plan to sew these assembly-line style. I still have one more pair cut out to sew, but the serger thread has to be different for it to look best, so I waited. Navy blue and charcoal, though? Black served absolutely fine for both.

Since I've already showed two pairs of these, there isn't too terribly much to say. (Other than I need to work on my tripod camera positioning, because this angle makes me look kind of stumpy!) I did make a few minor detail changes to make them more jeans-style, since both of these are made from a lightweight denim. There's topstitching on the waistband, the darts, and around the welt pockets. I added a bar tack on the fly and some topstitching to just after the front pockets after wearing the charcoal pair for a day, because a stress point was already showing! (I also reinforced the stitching in the crotch and thigh areas for the same reason.) I did not, however, make the belt loops for these two pairs-- I didn't even cut them out this time, since by the time I got to that step for the other two pairs, I was pretty much mentally done and just wanted to hem them and be finished.

I am happy that this navy denim pair can count for the #bluefebruary sewalong!


And here's the charcoal pair. Do I look a little smug here? (That wasn't intentional. I also need to work on my posing. Sadly, this was the best of the lot.) Even though you're probably tired of me talking about making pants, I think these will both be great additions to my wardrobe that will go with tons of stuff. I had to give myself a break from pants yesterday and made a quick knit project instead (to be blogged soon), but I think I'm ready to continue with the last pair now. And then take a bit of a break from pants...but it won't be forever, because I need some jeans! (Especially since my one pair of skinny jeans accidentally ended up in the dryer this weekend and now I can't get them on anymore. So sad. On the plus side, now I know what to do with the leftover stretchy denim from the TARDIS skirt...)








One bonus project-- I actually finished this in January, but couldn't show it until now, since it was part of Doug's birthday present. He's been talking about wanting a Microsoft Surface tablet for months, so I teamed up with both sets of our parents to get him one. It came with a thin keyboard-style case, but I thought an extra case would also be helpful to keep things from jamming between the keyboard and the screen. So I used a scrap of the charcoal denim to make this envelope-style case, basically just winging it on the measurements by folding the fabric around the actual tablet.

The inside fabric was a fortuitous find-- I went to Goodwill with my bestie recently to try to find some preliminary costume materials for some stuff we're hoping to do later this year. While poking around the home decor section, I found this bedsheet that's all the various hockey teams in the NHL. Doug is a huge hockey fan, so I snatched that up and smuggled it home! I only needed a small scrap for this bag, but made sure to center one of his two favorite teams so that it was showing--the one that would require me to cut into the least amount of fabric, of course! I still have quite a bit of this left, though I'm not counting it as adding to the stash, but I'm sure I can use it up for some big blocky project like making pillows for the basement, aka his "man cave".

And now for totals:

Pattern: Sewaholic Thurlows (plus improvised pattern for tablet pouch)

Amount of time it took to make: About two weeks, plus some breaks to make the pouch while Doug wasn't home, so that averages to a little less than a week per pair. Not too shabby.

Fabric used: lightweight denims from Fabric.com

Amount of fabric used: approx. 3.5 yards (about 1.25 yds of main fabric/.5 yd lining per pair) - there's approximately 1.75 yards of each main fabric remaining, though not the full width of the fabric. (Any ideas?)

Stashed since: 2012

Current stash total: Counting the 6 yards I just bought at Mood, about 336 yards. Well, it's still some progress.

of shapes and stitching (in-progress sewing and Wardrobe Architect, Week #3)

I don't really have anything new to show sewing-wise, as I'm currently in the throes of assembly line sewing. (Which is actually working out pretty well, but "throes" is just fun to say.) And since this week's Wardrobe Architect worksheet was pretty short and straightforward, I figured I'd just do a little roundup of in-progress sewing and that.

Pictures first. I'm currently making the two denim versions of the Thurlows, and therefore am doing a few more jeans-like details. Namely, I topstitched the darts. And I'm also topstitching around the welt pockets, which has the bonus of reinforcing the stitching. (The brown pair is coming undone already, because I've washed and worn it so much!)





Also, pockets! The cherry print is particularly fun, I think. It's a shame I didn't have enough of that for the waistband facing, too--that will have to be plain black. But I did have just enough to squeeze these and the welt pockets out. As for that purple-y hand-dyed stuff, I had more than enough for the pockets and facings for both this pair and the future grey pair. Plus a ton left over. I may have to resort to using it for things like wearable pajama muslins or something...

As for the Wardrobe Architect project, this week's assignment was thinking about garment shapes. Which was really nothing too ground-breaking for me, but I figured I'd share some results anyway.

I seemed to end up in the middle of a lot of things-- I like most things either somewhat fitted or somewhat loose, but not too tight or especially too loose. Some more garment-specific results:

•  Skirts: I'm most comfortable in skirts that are either knee- or maxi-length, A-line or with some other kind of flare (but not too full, as that always makes me feel like my hips look huge), and with either a hip-hugger waistline, or occasionally a more natural waistline. I'm still getting used to the latter, which is probably a result of being a teenager in the 90s when everything was cut lower and I just got used to it. I don't like high-waisted things, mainly for the practical reason of they feel restrictive when I'm playing my flute and need to breathe deeply. Also, I don't tuck shirts in too often anyway. I'm also not very comfortable in shorter skirts, though I'm more comfortable when my legs are covered by tights or something.
• Dresses: I'm most comfortable when things are either somewhat fitted or somewhat loose, though I tend to lean more towards fitted. Too tight and I feel self-conscious, too loose and I feel like I'm wearing a sack. Length and skirt fullness preferences are pretty similar to my skirt answers, though I'm more likely to wear a fuller skirt here since the dress can provide more obvious waist definition than one can often get with separates. I'm also more likely to go for a higher or natural waistline here, or none at all if it's a princess-seam type dress. No dropped waists, since 20s-style silhouettes were not meant for curvier ladies!
• Pants: My waistline preferences are similar to my skirt preferences. I prefer somewhat fitted to loose (hello, Thurlow marathon!), though I do have the one pair of skinny jeans and was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked the look on me. I'm more comfortable in full-length pants as opposed to shorts, though when I do wear shorts, I prefer them to be around mid-thigh length.
• On top: somewhat fitted is my main preference, though I'll also go for very fitted or somewhat loose, depending on what I'm wearing on the bottom. Length preference is above the hip to tunic-length, as opposed to cropped. I'm more likely to bend these rules when it comes to layering pieces like cardigans and jackets. 

There were also a few more detail questions about necklines and sleeves.
Favorites: V-necks, cowl necks, or scoop necks; sleeveless, above-elbow length or long sleeves (depending on the season).
Also like:  Boatneck, Square, Sweetheart necklines-- I'll wear these, and have made things that I like that feature these necklines. Three-quarter sleeves and short sleeves fall under this category as well--I have lots of things that are these lengths, and like them, but I think the other three sleeve lengths are perhaps slightly more flattering.
Neutral: Spaghetti strap and halter necklines. This is more under the category of it's not that I don't like them, it's just harder to wear a bra, so I have to take extra considerations (like the bra I built into my Lonsdale dress specifically for this reason.) To be honest, most of my spaghetti strap tops are actually camisoles, and only worn as layering pieces.
Dislike: Off-the-shoulder and strapless. The former is just super-annoying, both due to arm position when playing flute, and the feeling of having to adjust it from falling down all day. I always feel like strapless is going to fall down on me, too, and the only thing I own of that category is the red dress I took with me on the honeymoon. And only because it fit me so perfectly at the time that it couldn't fall down. I certainly wouldn't plan to make something strapless. Unless it was something like a strapless corset top that I was specifically planning to wear over another top. (I wouldn't put that past myself.)

So, like I said, none of this is really any surprise to me. Or probably to you, if you looked through my collection of finished objects that I've shown on here. But it was still a useful exercise.

Look at this pile, isn't it neat?

Wouldn't you say my collection's complete... ok, before I get that song more firmly stuck in my head, I should probably clarify that the collection is not complete, because I still have to, you know, actually sew this. (And cut out the interfacing.) But this pile represents 3 pairs of pants, which is what remains of the original 5 pairs I'd planned to make. Now that I have the fitting worked out, I think this will go very quickly. Especially because I can use the same serger thread for both the blue and black denim versions, which means that I can definitely assembly-line make those two pairs! The grey will have to be done separately for it to look right, I think, but you can't win them all.

As far as my stashbusting goes, overestimating once again bit me in the butt. I don't have the full width yardage on any of these, but I still have a solid 1 3/4 yards of both the blue and the black lightweight denim. So I'll have to figure out what to do with those, though I did manage to use one largeish remnant of the black for a secret project. (Which doesn't count towards that 1 3/4 yards, unfortunately.) I do have quite a bit of the grey left as well, but I do already know what I'm going to do with that. And it isn't another Hummingbird skirt.

On the plus side, I did use up the cherry print, and one length of the multiple cuts of this batiked muslin from ages ago. I think there were something like 6 total. So that puts me at 3 out of 4 fabrics to get out of my stash completely before I can buy more-- 4 if I count the zebra print charmeuse that I passed on to my mom for a bag lining. I'd ordered 3 yards, but they only sent me 1, and then ran out, so I can't use it for the winter coat lining that I'd originally planned.

I think I'm going to count it. After all, I can't delay too long in ordering fabric if I'm going to be ready for March of the Shieldmaidens. But I'm still making progress, right?

Two for the price of one

My pantsapalooza is back on! I finally made the olive pair of Thurlows, and now have 3 more to go. I also learned as I was cutting these out that, once again, I did err on the side of too much fabric. So rather than fold up the remaining large piece of fabric, I just went ahead and cut out a Hummingbird skirt while I was at it! I already had a zipper in my stash that would work, aside from the one I'd bought specifically for the pants, and I used the same buttons for both, which means that aside from sewing time, this skirt was essentially free. Can't beat that!

Of course, this also means I'm going to have leftovers for the other 3 pairs of pants, too. I already have an idea for my grey twill, but I'm also going to have some charcoal and navy lightweight denim (as two separate yardages) to figure out what to do with. I'm hoping that I can get my cutting table cleared off today so I can cut as much of this out tomorrow as possible, given that I'm actually going to be a working musician tomorrow as well. (I love playing weddings, they're such easy money!)

Anyway, on with the projects, shall we? I'm attempting to track stash usage as I go this year, since I'm on the Stash Diet. So that information will go below.





Pattern: Sewaholic Patterns- Thurlow Trousers (worn here with my Simbelmyne top)

Amount of time it took to make: about a week, I'm going to estimate about 10 hours total

Fabric used: A cotton olive green twill, plus a quilter cotton for the pockets and waistband facings

Amount of fabric used: Approx. 2 1/8 yards (really more, I was left with 1.5 yards of the twill, half the original width.)

Stashed since: 2012

I think this is going to be my new indoor spot for photos. The light just seems so much better in here than in our living room! Plus, you know, books. Anyway, aside from an hour or so spent basting and unbasting the back seam to tweak the fit, the second round of these went together much, much easier than the first.

The welt pockets look pretty good this time, I think! It helps that it's a better-quality fabric than what I used for the brown pair for certain. But practicing the construction with the first pair helped a lot, too. They're still not perfect in the corners, but certainly passable.  I did also realize some things about the waistband construction that made the end result look much better--it was probably obvious to a lot of people, but I figured out that stopping the stitching 5/8" away from the raw edge made the zipper area fit in much, much better! I got the pockets sorted for what side needs to be out for the insides to look pretty this time, too. Which is good, because I'm actually super-excited about what I get to use up for one of the next pairs, and I want to show it!









"Guts" picture! This quilt cotton has been around forever, from some fabric my mom gave me from her own stash when I was trying to get this quilt planned out. It didn't quite work out for that, so I'm glad I finally found a use for it. I did discover that the twill creases quite a bit during wearing, but nothing that a little dryer or iron action won't fit. The creases are mainly in the front from sitting, anyway, and I generally wear my shirts untucked, so I'm not worried. Incidentally, I'm pretty sure I can count these pockets as "Itty Bits" for the Stashbusting Sewalong, too.

And now for the skirt...

Pattern: Cake Patterns- Hummingbird skirt (worn here with the "Autumn in Lancaster" Renfrew, since there is some olive in the print.)

Amount of time it took to make: Probably about 5 hours, if you count the time I had to spend ripping out my fitting mistakes.

Fabric used: same as the Thurlows. I'm calling this my "Tapenade" skirt, because that's the sort of thing you'd make from leftover olives, right?

Amount of fabric used: a 1.5 yd x approx. 30" piece of twill, cut crosswise, + 5/8" yard cotton

Stashed since: 2012

Despite the fact that I've made this skirt twice already, I had a surprising amount of trouble with the fitting! When I made the hemp Hummingbird, I had to take the top in at a pretty extreme angle, which you can see much better in the pocket detail picture for the TARDIS skirt variation. I don't know if it's because the twill has much less give than the hemp, or because there was no stretch involved like there was with the denim, but it didn't work at all this time! The skirt sits pretty tightly against my waist, and when I first tried it on, there were these weird wing-like protrusions at my hips. Which is pretty much the last place I want wing-like protrusions. So I had to rip out the seam, the serging, and the topstitching (argh) that I'd already done, soften the angle quite a bit, and then restitch it. I guess this means I may need to rethink my pattern alterations before I use this one again!

Also, I completely blanked on constructing the pockets--the good news is that I got the right edges lined up first try, but that means the wrong side of the pocket fabric is showing from the inside. Oh well, it could be much worse.

Aside from fitting, a few minor tweaks I made was doing a centered zipper instead of invisible, just because that's the sort of zipper I had on hand. I also added topstitching to the front and side seams, to give it a more casual look.


Total yards out: 4.25 (twill used up, only large scrap left of cotton left, so I'm counting it.)

Current stash total: ~334 yards


Diet rules: 2 pieces of fabric, 2 separate patterns out of 4 before I can buy more of either. Which I'd better get cracking on, because Doug and I are planning a weekend trip to NYC in February, and he said we could go to Mood! I've never actually bought anything from the physical store, though I did have a chance to step inside it once, so this is really exciting! I do have things I can legitimately buy to finish already planned projects, like a winter jacket lining, and I did build in a travel exception, but I still want to be very thoughtful about what I do buy there.

My first Thurlows!

Why, yes, I'm feeling accomplished. I've only had this in the queue since the moment I got the announcement email from Sewaholic.

All things considered, I think they turned out pretty well! Even though the welt pockets are a little wonky. I couldn't make heads or tails of the first one, ended up making it much shorter than it was supposed to be, and stupidly chopped off the excess before I figured it out on the second one. So it was either rip it all out and cut out new pieces and start over--with the welt hole already cut--or just chalk these up to test pants and call it a day. Obviously, I chose the latter.

The one thing I can't figure out--it seems like the fly sticks out way more than it should, don't you think? I feel like the line shouldn't be that visible in a photo. I'm not sure if that is a fit issue or a fabric issue, since this is my mystery content fabric.





Looks pretty good from the back, though, I think. (And don't mind my pose--this was self-timer on the tripod, and the dogs insisted on photobombing left and right! So I had to keep an eye on them to make sure they didn't knock my tripod over. Or get into the trash. Again.)

















I know there are still some wrinkles in the front. One lesson I've learned from attempting all of those pairs of jeans is that it's really easy for me to over-fit there, since my upper thighs protrude quite a bit. So I have to leave a little breathing room just above them for sitting and things like that, or things get uncomfortable pretty quickly. I'm not too terribly worried about it, since I almost always leave shirts untucked anyway. But Malkin seems to approve, from the way he's smiling when he looks at them.

I also didn't bother with the belt loops, because I just wanted to get them done and move on to the next several pairs. Besides, I'm unsure how well this fabric will wear, since it was free and I'm not exactly sure what it is.

I did make one semi-conscious change to the design, by doing a visible button in the waistband instead of a hook and eye. I'll admit that it was initially because I misread the supplies a bit and bought buttons to go with the pants. And I do have a thing for interesting buttons, so I didn't want to relegate them all to the inside to be seen by only me. (I had a long-time friend tell me once that she could always tell when I'd made my clothes, because the buttons were more interesting than the average RTW stuff!) I did have a practical reason as well, though--I've found that my RTW pants with hook-and-eye waistbands tend to get distorted over time, and then lay funny under my shirts. It drives me nuts!

Overall, despite my welt pocket mental block, these pants were very much what I'd hoped they'd be--pants that look good and were relatively painless to fit! I did have to take in quite a bit on the back waistband, and change up the crotch curve and things like that. And I did have to let out the side seams just a bit at the top to accommodate my thighs. But I didn't have to worry at all about adding hem length, which I've often had to do with pants, and I didn't have to start over to add darts in weird places for a muslin fitting!

I think I've managed to make all of the changes to my paper pattern, minus one length adjustment I need to make to the waistband, so I'm almost good to go on cutting out my other 4 pairs and really make this a pantsapalooza! Though I've decided that I'm actually going to assembly-line these in groups of two instead of all four at once, mainly because that will minimize thread changes on my serger for seam finishing. (That, and it increases the chance I might be able to squeeze them in soon, in between working on stuff for the Doctor Who sewalong. Since that starts on Monday and all.)

I need a distraction

First off, the good news: While by no means perfect, my welt pocket is looking much, much better than yesterday. (Though is the dart supposed to go crooked like that where it splits?)









The bad news: After struggling with it for a solid half hour, at least, plus at least another 15 minutes of staring vainly at Lauren's tutorial post, this is what my pocket lining is doing. I just can't make heads or tails of it, and this is the only way I could figure to get the brown showing through the welt, rather than the print. I don't think I sewed it backwards or upside down, based on the illustrations, but I'm obviously missing something here and I'll feel really dumb when I figure out what it is. (Well, more dumb, because I am honestly rather discouraged with this entire thing right now.)

So, to distract myself, here's my tentative plan for the rest of the FESA sewalong.

Fashionable Foundations for Frosty Weather
Trousers, skirts, legwarmers and more! Anything that keeps your lower portion fashionably cozy fits perfectly here! The chilly weather necessitates the donning of bifurcated bottoms and sassy skirts!

Obviously, I've got this one covered by Pantsapalooza, assuming I can make it past this first pair of pants and actually start working on the other 4!

Chic Chemises for Cool Climates
Blouses, tops, vests, cardigans, and sweaters! These wardrobe essentials can carry you from day to night, not to mention provide necessary layering to keep out the chill.  

I've got a couple of things planned here:

These two knit prints are tagged for long-sleeved Renfrew tops. The black striped one, which was part of a Christmas haul from my parents a few years ago, will have to be a layering piece out of necessity. It's pretty thin. The green is a little thicker, with a crinkled texture, and has been in the stash for several years. The nice thing is that I can use black thread for both, so I can assembly-line construct these as well! I'm thinking maybe a scoop-neck for the black and a v-neck for the green, since I've only made the cowl neck variation so far.


I also have a new knitting project! Would you believe this one has been in progress for a few weeks now? This cardigan pattern is called Roheline, and it's proved rather difficult to get going, though it's completely not the design's fault. The first time I cast it on, one of the dogs somehow got the yarn out of my nightstand drawer early one morning, and in the ensuing tug-of-war between him and my husband, the yarn broke. So I had to start again. Then I had a couple instances of misreading the chart pattern and having to rip it out. And at least once or twice casting on where I just didn't have enough of a tail to finish. All together, I think I started this sweater about 7 times! But I've made it up through row 7 or 8 as of tonight, so I think I'm good now. I hope.

Fabulous Frocks
Dresses of all styles; mini, short, or long! Keep yourself warm in your modish designs, layering with tights and boots!

I meant to get this one done near the end of the summer, so hopefully putting it on my fall list means that I'll get it done sometime before the end of next summer, right? Anyway, this is the Darling Ranges dress. And of course I plan to overcomplicate things for myself by attempting to fully line it. That blue bemberg rayon was the closest match I could get without actually using white (which, actually, Mood didn't have at the time). And it's a pretty lightweight rayon print, so those white streaks are just a liiiiiittle too transparent for my comfort. The fact that it will add some extra warmth doesn't hurt either, since elbow-length sleeves in the middle of the summer around here just aren't happening. Which makes this obviously a fall dress.

Underneath It All
When you're spending months covered from the neck down, a glamorous underpinning of your choice adds a secret, luxurious touch that chases the cold away!

Tender Tootsies
Let's not forget your frosty feet! Socks, slippers and the like are the order of the day. Keep those tootsies warm and dry!

Those Cozy Nights
Is there anything better than snuggling up in a cozy pair of pajamas with a hot drink and a book whilst Jack Frost works his magic outside? I think not! Sleepwear of all types are the way to go here!

I don't currently have any plans for these few categories, but we'll see if I change my mind. After all, despite my long-term anti-leggings stance, the upcoming Espresso leggings are tempting me to give them a shot.

Baby It's Cold Outside
Coats, hats, and mittens donned to keep the cold at bay, especially when out enjoying the spectacular fall colours!

I don't think I care enough to bother matching stripes. It's just to keep me warm at the retail job. #knitting pic.twitter.com/m3Zpi475AH
— Becky (@sew_and_so) September 17, 2013

I do have a pair of handwarmers in progress that I'm frantically knitting for work, but I keep that at my parents' house as a project to do while I wait for flute students. So this Twitter shot is the only pic I have of them for now. A matching hat may follow. And I do hope to knit the beginner scarf for my Craftsy class soon, too.

So, I know this is a hugely ambitious list, and last year I was crafting for FESA well into the winter. But that's ok. Especially because there is one more pile...


Just as a sneak preview, these are the three things I have tagged for the Doctor Who sewalong. But I'm not going to tell yet what I have in mind, or what categories they fall into. Because, as River Song would say, spoilers!

I may have just ruined my pants.

This is my rather sad attempt at a welt pocket. Which, frankly, looks awful and won't lie flat at all. Especially in the corners. Since I already cut the slash, I'm not sure how to salvage this. I could maybe widen the seam allowance and make the welts more narrow, but it may be too late.

Needless to say, this is why welt pockets are on my check the technique list. I've never managed a good one yet.

Thurlow fitting

I have to say, this hasn't been nearly as painful as I'd anticipated.
This is what I ended up with when sewing it together straight out of the pattern. (I cut a straight size 8, for the record.) And it actually wasn't that bad! It felt a little bit tight in the lower crotch area. And it was definitely too tight in the butt, even though it was still gapping at the center back. But still...I've sewed worse. Which means that my hopes that the Thurlows would work well for my shape are fully justified. Hurrah for Sewaholic!






After about an hour of tweaking, this is where I'm currently at. The butt may still be a little too tight, especially when factoring in welt pockets, but it's passable. And I can sit in it, which is important. I know the front still looks pretty wrinkly, but I don't think I'm going to mess with it too much. I learned from the jeans-fitting process that I have to allow myself a little extra room at the top of the thighs, because I have what Tasia calls "strong thighs". (As illustrated by this initial jeans post here where you can see how far they protrude past my stomach and pelvic bones!) Besides, a lot of what is there is sagginess, and based on a few tugs I was doing when trying it on, I think that problem will be largely solved when the waistband goes on.

So here's what I've done so far:

• Let the inner thigh seams out 1/8", for a total of 1/4" per leg.
• Took in the darts and side seams 1/8", for a total waistline decrease of 1/2".
• Scooped out the back crotch seam to give me more room in the butt. I'm still not sure why taking fabric away from the outside of the pants gives more room, but it works. TARDIS effect, maybe? I also took that slanty back seam in quite a bit at the top. Probably a solid inch and a half.

I still need to play with the waistband, but that should be fairly simple. I was also thinking about taking it in a little more at the knee for more of a bootleg effect, but since these aren't jeans and I'm not sure how forgiving this fabric is going to be, I'm going to leave it for these. It seemed like a good fit when my knees are bent, so I probably shouldn't mess with that too much, either.

So, how's it looking? And do I need to add a little more into the backside still?

One more thing-- I recently discovered on my blog reader that this is happening again! So since my plans for sewing a lot of pants fit oh-so-nicely into the "Fashionable Foundations for Frosty Weather" category, I'm signing up for sure! I mean, two sewalongs in one? Three, even, since I am busting stash for all of these! How can I resist?

It's Pantsapalooza time!

Hurrah! So here it is, day one, and I'm already changing up my plan. Not for the sewalong in general, don't worry! I'm just rethinking my own personal approach.

My original plan, as stated, was to start off with a wearable muslin in the form of shorts. But I've been thinking about it, and I've come to the conclusion that maybe that isn't the best approach. For one thing, now that it's September, I have absolutely no way of predicting how long shorts will actually be wearable in my area. It could be anywhere from another 2-8 weeks, depending on what the wacky Mid-Atlantic weather does! Between plotting for this, that Darling Ranges dress I have queued, and the upcoming Doctor Who sewalong, my brain is rather firmly fixed on cooler-weather sewing, and shorts just seem...pointless. My other thought was that if I start with a muslin of the pants, it'll be easier to work out the fit and the length all in one go. Plus the denim is a little heavier than any of my pants fabrics, which I'm sure will affect the fit. So my new plan is to use my mystery brown fabric as the wearable muslin, because since I got it for free, it's not a huge loss if I totally mess it up.

I wonder if it's possible to get the length so it'll work with both my boots and my flats? Hmmm....
Anyway, here's the fabrics that I'm going to be using. The brown on top is going to be the muslin fabric. I'm not sure what to call it, because looking at it more closely reminded me that it's not a twill after all! It's got an almost slubby linen-like weave to it in spots, so I'm really not sure. Below that is the navy lightweight denim, the grey and olive twills, and the charcoal lightweight denim.

I'm working on a helpful links post, which I'll hopefully be able to get up in the next couple of days. In the meantime, when I'm not at work or rehearsal, I'm going to be busy tracing out this pattern so I can get started!

In case you missed it, I did get the html working on the button, so you can pick up the code here. I'm also probably going to update that first post with links to other posts.

Anything particular you want to see out of this, as far as post topics go? As I've said before, I'm no fitting expert, but I'll be happy to help however I can!

I may have created a sewalong monster

If you've been hanging around here for awhile, you know I've been talking about making pants for awhile. Lots of pants. As in, "I need to replace almost all that I own" pants. (It's not my fault that all of my RTW pants are just barely too short and look stupid with my boots. Which I wear all the time in the fall.) As much as I'd love to spend my autumn sewing cute dresses to wear with tights and cardigans and the like, I know the reality of my life is that I get way too cold to wear them in the winter, and basically live in pants for those 3-ish months. So it's a necessity. (Stupid wool allergy that won't let me wear warmer tights...oh well.) Anyway, in my head, I've been calling it "pantsapalooza". It's kind of a running joke between my brother's wife and myself that whenever we get together to bake things in excess, it's automatically a "palooza". As in, "Applepalooza" when we get together to bake a gazillion single-serving apple tarts in the fall, or "cookiepalooza" when it gets closer to Christmas.

Well, I let my little made-up word slip on Twitter the other day while a group of us were speculating about eventual Sew Bossy participation, and this may have happened....

@sew_and_so @SewExhausted @StacySews @Prttygrievnces "Pantsapalooza" :) How did I miss out on that one??
— Gjeometry (@Gjeometry) August 17, 2013

@sew_and_so @Gjeometry @StacySews lol... you should be hosting it then-Im sure there a LOTS of peeps who need a pantsapalooza!
— Sew Exhausted (@SewExhausted) August 17, 2013

And then it kind of went on from there. To the point where it got its own hashtag, and a lot of chatter over the next day or so. Long story short, it looks like I just might be hosting a sewalong!

My thoughts so far are to start it in early September (around the 6th), and let it run until sometime in October. I'd personally like to get this wrapped up before the Doctor Who sewalong that Tempest is hosting, since I've been plotting for that one all summer! I'm thinking 4-6 weeks, though I'm leaning more towards 6 since we all know pants aren't the easiest thing to fit. My own personal plan is to stick with the Thurlow trousers, since they've been on my list since the second I found out that Tasia was releasing that pattern, make a wearable muslin pair of shorts to check the fit, and then crank out as many pairs of pants as possible! But since there's already been a Thurlow-specific sewalong, and paloozas should always have more than one thing going on, you could go with whatever pattern you want! I'm envisioning just a thing where we can all help each other with our fitting problems (because you know I'm no expert), encourage each other, and all have awesome pants to wear at the end.

So, since I'm a complete sewalong hosting newbie, here's where I'd love some feedback from you more experienced sewcialists! Is 6 weeks too long? Any advice for keeping things running smoothly, other than Flickr groups? And most importantly, is this something that people would like to sew along with me on? (I could also use some advice on how to make those nifty html buttons, since my photoshop skills are pretty much limited to basic photo tweaks and that banner at the top of the page here.)

MMM, Day 2: The holes in my wardrobe

To be perfectly honest, this isn't my favorite outfit. (Nor my best expression-- my boyfriend was kind enough to take pics on our way out to grab some dinner and spend an hour or two together, and I guess I was in the middle of blinking. But this one does show the whole outfit the best.) 

Shirt: "Flowery Explosion" top, blogged here
Cardigan: Old Navy
Pants:Lee, from JC Penney's
Shoes: Naturalizer, from Maryland Square (I think)
Necklace: Me-made
Earrings, which you can't really see here anyway: Lia Sophia



Here's how it went down: I had my outfit all picked out and ready to go for after work at the garden center today. But when I picked it, it was supposed to get up to around 70 degrees. In actuality, it didn't even crack 60. (And yesterday, it was around 80! The weather in my little corner of the mid-Atlantic is pretty whacked out this year.) So I had to improvise, and fast. And I mean fast--the cashier who was taking over for me got there late, which meant I got out late, and I had the span of about an hour to refuel my rental car, take it back to the repair shop where my little Honda was getting its reconstructive surgery after its fender bender, drive home, change my clothes, grab the vacuum cleaner to give the floor a quick once-over before teaching, and then immediately have to put it away before cleaning, because my first student arrived earlier than planned. It happens sometimes when they stop by on their way home from school.

I knew I wanted a colorful top, because this day has been very dreary--either rain, thunderstorms or clouds all day. I wasn't in the greatest mood, either, because work was pretty craptastic today. Bright clothes with cheery prints just make me feel better! It was way too cold for sleeveless, though, at least for me. I originally had cuter shoes on (my silver gladiator sandals), but by the time I got through my couple of hours' worth of teaching in the basement, my feet were cold! So I changed to the more practical shoes before going out for dinner. I think the concept of the outfit is ok....it's just that it's too pale overall. I'm going to blame the pants--for what is supposed to be a neutral pair of pants, these are so hard to fit into my wardrobe! I think it would have worked better with my camel linen pants, color-wise, but I haven't ironed them since I last washed them and certainly did not have time to do so today.

I do think the necklace was a good pick, though. This was a fun one to make-- basically, I took all of the white/clear/light tan glass beads I had that didn't go with anything else, made 3 strands of bead links, and then stuck it on some decorative chain to make this necklace. Since this top verges on too low-cut for my taste, it fills in the space nicely! I also think the half-buttoned cardigan looks a little odd/unflattering in the pic, but it looked weirder to have the minty green band halfway up from the tieback sash. Oh well. It's honestly not my favorite cardigan, either, and I also have found this surprisingly hard to fit into my wardrobe!

Over the last few months, I've been taking a close look at my clothes to see if I can identify the holes in my wardrobe, and I think this outfit illustrates a couple of them. For both the pants and the cardigan, these wouldn't have been my first pick of things to buy--they were both cases of I needed something fast (a pair of khakis, a cream-colored cardigan to wear over that Modcloth dress that I just shortened, when I was wearing it as a dress to a friend's wedding), and this was the best option I could find at the time. And even though the khakis don't seem to really go with the rest of my clothes for some reason (and are a little too short even with my flats), and I just don't like the way the cardigan's looked with anything so far (too preppy, I guess), I've kept them because I don't really have anything else to fill those holes yet. Especially for the pants-- I have a list of 6 things I've often wished for in my winter wardrobe, and half of them are different colors of pants to replace ill-fitting or just worn out ones that I have now.

I'm on my way to remedying that-- I looked through my stash notebook and found two pieces that would make good pants, in addition to the charcoal lightweight denim that I specifically got for that purpose for Christmas-- a more camel-ly khaki corduroy, and a chocolatey-brown twill. I had also recently been debating buying some fabric, and ended up getting twill in grey and olive, and a lightweight denim to replace the too-short trouser jeans that I have now. So once I get through my palette challenge and have the jeans-fitting technique down, I'll find a good pair of pants, make some test shorts like I did for those linen pants that I mentioned earlier in this post, try it on one pair of pants once I get the fit, and then go assembly-line style and just knock them all out. I have it in the back of my mind to knit a new cream cardigan at some point too--something a little more interesting, like maybe this, or this, or perhaps this. Though I don't think it will happen any time soon, since I have two other bigger knitting projects in the works, I need to find some nice non-wooly yarn that will work, and I already have yarn that I can use to make a grey cardigan, which I also need. (Hopefully as this. I've been eyeing it for awhile!)

So, yeah....in the question of frosting vs. cake, I think I'll be ok with sewing more cake from here on out. Especially if I can get a nice tried-and-true pants pattern to work from, or maybe two, since jeans fit differently than the average pants. I've been finding lately that store-bought clothes just don't work for me long-term!

So, so close....

My goal for yesterday was to finish the raincoat. And I almost made it. But then disaster struck, in the form of eyelets...

All those raggedy sharp edges.... apparently all of that trouble I was having with the belt for the Licorice dress wasn't a fluke. The eyelet setting went even worse this time. I even asked my tool-savvy dad for help, and he couldn't get them to go in right either. So we concluded that the eyelet setting tool is a piece of crap, and that I'll need to get a new one. He thinks he can get the eyelets out without messing up the belt itself, which is hopefully going to be the case. So I'll have to talk to him about that soon... I can salvage the buckle either way, but worst case scenario, I found just enough fabric to make a new belt if needed. I just need to remember to keep an eye on the A Fashionable Stitch shop for when the eyelets come back in stock so I can get those, the hammer-in tool instead of the awful pliers tool, and some new belt backing if necessary. Sunni's customer service is great-- I emailed her last night to ask if she carried those aside from the entire belt kit, and got a response back within half an hour! So I would definitely highly recommend her shop. (As an aside, Sunni, if you manage to find jeans rivets to stock, I will love you forever!)

On a happier note, I think the coat itself turned out pretty good!

Not quite the same look as what was in the magazine-- let's just do this properly and I'll do a pattern review, shall we?


Pattern: Burda Magazine 3/2009, #119


Pattern Description: Double-breasted trenchcoat with gun flaps on both sides, knee length, inverted box pleat in the back.

Pattern Sizing: 34-44. I made the 40.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Close, but not quite...I just realized now, while looking at the line drawing vs. my photo, that I should have pulled it closed more in the front when I was figuring out button placement and that's why the double row of buttons would have just looked silly. Oops. Oh well, it's probably more functional this way, anyway! I also left off a few of the extra details, like the mini-belts around the wrists and the epaulettes. And the belt, obviously, but that will come.

Were the instructions easy to follow? They're Burda magazine instructions. 'Nuff said. Truth be told, I didn't follow them too closely, because I had to rework half of the order to accommodate the waterproofing, and my desire for a full lining. But hey, look how nice it looks! Inverted box pleat and everything! Um, don't look too closely at the internal hem, ok? That was a bit of a wrestling match, but hopefully it won't show too badly.)

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I liked the styling of it, and would have quite happily incorporated those extra details if they wouldn't have added extra holes in unnecessary places that I would have had to waterproof. There wasn't really anything I seriously disliked about the pattern itself, more my construction process. But that's not the pattern's fault.

Fabric Used: A waterproof taffeta from Gorgeous Fabrics for the outside, and some polyester stuff I was given for free years ago for the lining. The lining is also fully underlined with flannel for warmth. (I also used the flannel for interfacing where needed.)

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: As already mentioned, I fully lined the coat, rather than the yoke/sleeve only lining that the pattern called for. And the accidental design change in the front with the buttons. I did a lot more topstitching than it called for, since the taffeta was very prone to fraying and I needed to finish all of those seams accordingly (lots and lots of flat-felled seams. Great practice for those jeans I still plan to make.) I also used a belt-making kit from A Fashionable Stitch, rather than the directions that the pattern called for. I made no sizing alterations, since I wanted to allow extra room for bulky winter clothes, other than maybe making the sleeves a bit longer.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I think it makes for a nice, classic trench-coat look. I might sew it again whenever my lightweight spring jacket wears out--wouldn't this be fun in a bright, cheery twill print or something? 


Conclusion: This has nothing to do with the pattern itself, but I am SO glad to be done with this thing. And I really hope this raincoat holds up for a long, long time, because I don't want to waterproof anything again for a long, long time!

In other sewing news:
1. In one of the recent interims of letting waterproofing stuff dry before I could continue, I made these:

 Yes, I have another bridal shower to go to! This time, for a cousin getting married in March (the wedding I'm knitting that black shrug for.) So I whipped up yet another of my go-to apron pattern, along with the potholders I tried out back in the fall for a last-minute addition to a friend's shower gift. These seem to be along the lines of the colors she wants in her kitchen, so hopefully my cousin will like them! I can probably make the apron in my sleep by this point. The potholders still need a bit of work, as I still haven't quite figured out the best system for getting the bias tape around the top, (Probably because I keep insisting I can do better than the pattern, and making the loop out of the bias tape instead of a ribbon like the pattern calls for.)


Speaking of that black shrug, I'll do a knitting update soon.... in about 3 rows, it will make a better picture than what I can take now. But there has been progress. Honest.

2. My next project is mostly cut out and ready to go. And it's....(drumroll)....another brown coat! More specifically, the brown corduroy one that was #1 on the list. Hey, I've been meaning to make that thing for 2 years now. So I have the outside all cut out and interfaced where needed, with some extra-large seam allowances. My plan is to baste it together, tweak the fit where needed, mark that on the pattern, and then cut out the lining. Corduroy's tough. It can take being a muslin and a finished jacket. Now if only I could find what's left of my old fabric notebook so I can remember how many yards I can take off my stash list...

3. I also need to sit down soon and figure out what I need for the next several projects I'm going to tackle. Especially since the button packs are buy one get one free next weekend! (And maybe check out the Simplicity patterns, since they're 5 for $5...)

4. I got an early birthday present today...I'm signed up for one of the sewing classes at Craftsy. I got an email this morning saying that the pants-fitting one is currently half-price, and since I have both jeans and trousers coming up in the queue, I figured this would help immensely. I do have two pairs of jeans that I love the fit on (one boot-cut and, surprisingly, my one pair of skinny jeans, both purchased from Goodwill), and a pair or two of pants that I also think fits pretty well. Actually, I was thinking just yesterday that I wish I could replicate this one brown pair I have, because the fit at the top is great but I've washed and worn them so often that there's starting to be some obvious wear-and-tear on places like the back welt pockets. Plus they're just too short to look really good with my boots. So since the whole idea is reverse-engineering the fit without destroying the original jeans or pants, this could be just the thing! I've liked the Pattern Review classes I've taken in the past, but I'm excited to try the Craftsy ones since they have video and no set dates, so I can just do it as I can without stressing about falling behind. (Plus they're less expensive. Always a plus.) I'm thinking for the jeans, I can use this to make whatever last tweaks are needed to the muslin I already made for the last jeans class, and use the pattern I already have from there. So then I can finally cross that off the list, since I've been saying for, oh, only the last 3 or 4 years in a row that this is going to be the year I successfully make jeans!