McCall's 6996 Cardigan

I have made a few versions of this pattern over the years. I was planning to make up M7476, but then I couldn't find it :( So I made some adjustments to this one to get what I wanted.

I used the front of view B and the back of view C/D. I had a size medium cut out, but I am definitely larger than the last time I made it. I did a slash and spread to add 1" to the front waist and back hip. I added 1/2" to the front hip and back waist (protruding belly & protruding butt!). I add 1" to the length and added a back seam with a 5/8" swayback adjustment. I added another 1" to the bicep (had previously added 3/4") and I think I overdid it a bit here and have some excess room. 

Also, the shoulder line is too long. This is an area with the Beatrice that I'm still working out. Since there's no shoulder, I haven't yet worked out exactly where my shoulder line is. I thought it was too long but hesitated. Should have narrowed it at least half an inch. 

The fabric is a wool double knit from Fabric Mart that's been in stash for YEARS. It is really heavy and I was never quite sure how to use it. I had planned a knit blazer (and that would have been a very good use for it!) but the cardigan is a nice compromise. 

The fabric washed up so nicely! It did full a little, but not so much that the texture is ruined. 

No detail shots because honestly, it's just a cardigan. I constructed it primarily on the serger and coverstitch machines.

I've also been experimenting more on my mid-gauge knitting machine. I was practicing a technique for something similar to half-brioche and the standard gauge was just SO tiny that I pulled out the mid-gauge. Also, I happened upon a video on YouTube by CreativeTien and really liked the way her cables popped. This is a 3x3 cable with 9 rows between crossovers. I will try latching up the stitch that I dropped on either side as I was told they would pop even more.  

I used a simple formula on the Knit it Now website to use up my skein of Knerd String fingering weight yarn that I got at Fancy Tiger Crafts. Note: There's not a whole lot you can do with 1 skein of fingering weight yarn! LOL!!!! So this is not so long, but it drapes really beautifully after a wet block. 

I also purchased a couple of machine knitting magazines (to decide if I want to subscribe). Working on this kid's ballet style cardigan to get a feel for the pattern instructions. 

Burda 2/2020 #117 (and failed S9373)

Can we talk about how awesome this issue was? I was on the fence about resubscribing for 2022 because 2021 was SO lackluster. Looking at some of the 2020 issues only reaffirms that (Feb, Mar, May(!!))

While this is only my second garment from this issue, I do have fabric and plans to sew the Balmain-esque blazer #102, there's a casual jacket on my radar #120, and I ADORE that shirt with a tail #110. 

I planned to sew this right away but had some reservations as finished objects started to post. When I decided to add a red top to my wardrobe and found this cut of ITY (Fabric Mart) in the stash, I knew I would use this pattern. Upon a closer look at other's garments, I think that some may have been concerned with the neckline or just didn't want it too low and raised it. For me, it works as-is.

I sewed the sleeve and body in one pass and used a 1/4" seam allowance instead of the 3/8" I'd added because I was worried about it fitting. I think I need to go in at the underarm and take it in *just* a bit.

I used a size 42 (should have used my normal size 40 neckline, it's a little loose around the neck), and a 44 back from the armhole down. I did a slash and spread on the back below the waist to add about an inch. I also added 1" to the bicep (this pattern had a 13" finished sleeve width. EESH!). 

Changes from the pattern only involves leaving off the sleeve ruffle. I like it, it's just not practical for wearing under a coat, especially at the shorter length. There's nothing more aggravating than having your sleeve stuck, rumpled up in your coat sleeve!! Also, it's the TUNDRA so I may need to wear this under a jacket or cardigan sometimes. 

I really love the tie belt too! I am often not a fan of self-fabric belts but this just seemed right for this pattern. I did thread chains for loops but placed them at the waist/where the surplice hit and that's technically too high, but I just loosened the belt a bit and it seems fine. I'm certainly not cutting them out and redoing them. 

I am really thrilled with the outcome of this top - simple but effective and especially in this bright red! I remember, years ago making a red top and thinking, OMG NO! I cannot wear that! :) It felt way too bold. Now? Tuh! I love it!!! 

This is fantasy because there's no possible chance of bare legs in the tundra :-p

I am SO HAPPY to have my mojo back y'all!!!! 

It's not about feeling like I have to sew, it's about genuinely enjoying the process, making things that fit my body (today! right now!) and spending my free time in a way that makes me feel good. 

Plus, I've finally made the decision to apply to grad school next year and I think the fear kicked me into "making overdrive". hahahahaha! In reality, I am getting to a much better place mentally than I've been for about the past 3 years and it feels great. 

Already completed and ready to photograph is a turtleneck maxi from Burda 10/2018, and I am in-progress on a pair of pants from Burda 2/2013.

Oh. The disaster that is Simplicity 9373. Meh. It's enormous and boxy in a bad way. The sleeve cuffs are RIDICULOUS!!!!!! They are enormous. I removed 2" in width and still, they just...ugh. I was sad I wasted my chartreuse sweater knit (SR Harris) but once I pulled it out of my sewing room trash (really, LOL! But I *only* put fabric and thread and stuff in those trash cans and never empty them until a project is complete done!) and took these pics and realized it's SO enormous that I can very likely get a cute little top from the deal. I'm thinking NL6314 because I've made it before, wear those 2 tops all the time, and this fabric doesn't have great recovery so that pattern will pair well.

THIS COLOR THO! 

If you celebrate, I hope you have the merriest of Christmases! If this holiday is tough for you, for whatever reason, take good care of yourself because you deserve it <3

Oldies but Goodies

I finished my cardigan! Woohoo!!

As mentioned in my last post, when I got this fabric from Fabric Mart, I knew I wanted to sew it right away, and hunted the stash for a pattern. It's a double knit, gray with a purplish undertone and lurex threads on the right side. It washed up really well! I bought 2 yards and you know FM!! The pattern calls for 1 5/8 yards and I easily have a full yard leftover. So you may see this fabric again.

Look at that fabric! :drool:

I went with an old favorite, McCall's 6844, but knew I had outgrown the size medium, but was not going to fit into a size large. I took my measurements and decided on the following adjustments:

3/8" to the front from about 1.5" below the armpit to the waist, and smoothed the seamline. The narrow shoulder adjustment is from the original pattern adjustments. Probably 1/4 or 3/8". 

1/2" to the back from shoulder blade through the hem, with a wedge at the side seam. Swayback adjustment of 1/2" and added a center back seam. 

The sleeve on this pattern is BANANAS. I think the finished measurement was 13" and I originally added 1.5". I added another 3/4" by adding 3/8" at the side seams. My bicep measured 14.75" I also added 1/2" to the sleeve head height. Due to the fabric, I ended up sewing the seams at 3/8".

I think the adjustments worked out very well! I had a slightly harder time putting in the left sleeve because my gathering stitches weren't moving easily through the fabric, but it won't bother me much.

I tried the loose sleeve on (dur, doesn't work out too well) and it seemed like it might be short so I hemmed it at 5/8" (it has a 1 1/4" hem allowance). Well, I should have hemmed it at 1 1/4"! I will likely just cut off the existing hem and sew a new one at 5/8" vs unpicking the (very well matched!) thread.

I really love it and think the color and iridescence allows it to match with SO many other colors.

Earlier this year, in May, I sewed a couple new dresses from TNT patterns and never blogged them. While I don't care for the twist front dress with the cardigan, the cardigan will work with tan/taupe/natural fabrics. 

Butterick 6621 in taupe jersey from Stylish Fabrics

I wouldn't wear *this* bra with this dress...this is my lazy bra but I just took the advantage of the daylight to take pics

Another TNT, M7465 is one of my favorite patterns ever. 

The front and back skirt uses the same pattern piece but I've created a new back piece to accommodate my behind so that it isn't super tight. 

And these suede Clark pumps are my fave!

Lastly, MY DRESS FORM IS ALMOST READY! Woohoo! This was the first rendering--it's been since tweaked and will be smoother in the final form (e.g., you can see indentations from my bra straps). 

I am so excited!!

Burda 1/2021 #120

Yep...Another Burda 1/2021 garment - this time for my daughter. 

When I posted this cardigan/wrap as a 'must sew', my daughter asked me to make her one. She wanted fabric similar to the photo in the mag (sort of tweedy) but I couldn't find anything similar. This cotton boucle from SR Harris was a great bargain - it's a fantastic fabric from their designer section - and the fact that it's cotton made it a wonderful project to sew. It is a bit on the thicker side for this project but again, it was completely malleable as a soft, cotton fiber. 

My daughter is tall and thin with broad shoulders/back. She's several inches taller than I am but our back length is nearly identical. I do have to add quite a bit of length to sleeves and pants for her...and often times, a broad back adjustment. 

Since this is a looser fitting garment, I just cut a size 38 back and 36 front (with 38 shoulder). I added 2" to the sleeve - 1" above the elbow and 1" below. 

I did NOT enjoy tying off all these darts! 14 total!!!

This was actually a really quick sew - even with all of the adjustments and such, I started it on the evening of the 6th, didn't even work on it constantly, and had it boxed up and ready to ship on Sunday afternoon. 

THESE SLEEVES!

I really like the shape of the sleeves. My darts don't line up perfectly - shhhhhh! When I sew for my daughter, I am not apologetic about cutting corners/taking shortcuts. She's ALWAYS grateful but she's still a 20 something and I know she cannot fully appreciate the labor! 

The instructions call for Petersham for the D-ring side and had it not been for this nice, pliable fabric, that tab for the rings would have been a mess. I ended up layering the seams, pinking the tab ends, and pressing the mess out of it and it isn't too bulky at that section, thankfully. 

For the inside, they have you sew a snap to the petersham and the left front. I used some cute twill tape that I picked up from Craft South when I was in Nashville. 

My corners aren't sharp but - it's fine!

The twill tape and snap are so handy and I love the tag added here on the facing!

I did use some knit stay tape around the front and neckline edge early and topstitched the facing close to the edge. This will definitely be hitting the washer and dryer if i know my kid and I didn't want any potential raw bits with this ravel-ly fabric. 

Mine is up next! And maybe I'll have some pics of her in hers next time.

I kept trying it on but the finished hip here is *much* smaller than my hips so I didn't take any pics in it :-p

In other news, I bought another knitting machine! It's a mid-gauge Brother KX350. It's a plastic bed so benefits are - it's so lightweight! I can use sport weight to worsted on this machine (my standard gauge can use what would be considered lace weight to fingering weight and maaaaaybe sometimes some sport weight). 

The general mechanics are the same but it's a different beast from the metal bed standard gauge. 

Because I can't handknit anymore, I don't have much worsted weight yarn on hand. I'll have to grab a few balls and try a couple of easy projects like a new wrap for working (working from home still but it'll be cold for quite awhile longer here in the tundra!), or a scarf.

I'm a little over a month into my new job and I am SO happy that I made the move! Listen to yourself! Yourself is probably right :-p

We're working from home for the foreseeable future but once Covid is more controlled, I'll be working 2-3 days a week in the office. It's a beautiful location in downtown St. Paul (which is truly gorgeous and architectural and interesting!) (but not fun to drive around, lol!). 

I found some decently fitted, decently made blazers at Ann Taylor last month and am just energized all over again to create a couple of jackets. 

These striped pants are my favorite. I got them from LOFT some time ago. I was SMITTEN with them immediately and the guy that worked there tried to talk me out of them because they're vertical stripes. Dude, I don't follow the rules! :-p 

This one "fits" but, hello biceps! 

I'm not sure I could wear much more than a slim fitting tee underneath.

I have Martin Luther King Jr. Day off (probably the first time this has been a regularly scheduled holiday for me since I worked for the state of MN 15 years ago!) so I will be relaxing and sewing and/or knitting. 

Simplicity 1945 #BHMDesignerPatterns

I can't believe I haven't blogged in 2 weeks. Winter makes it so tough to get pics!! So today I have some substandard photos :) of an awesome project! :-D

First, here is a smattering of finished, unblogged projects

Burda 1/2020 hoodie

This photo is mid-construction but I finished this Vogue 1674 dress this weekend. 

Too late though for the event I was making it for :(

Simplicity 2061 joggers (may be a wadder)

New Look 6150 top

Vogue 8772 shirt

Simplicity 8948 blouse

Butterick 6183 top

WHEW!

S1945:

I bought this sweater knit from Michael Levine back in October. After prewashing, I was really excited to use it but didn't have a pattern I was certain about. I'm glad I waited!

At some point, I decided I needed 3 new toppers: a black, a white and one more. I wear a lot of grey AND I made this pattern before and loved it (but in a sweater knit with too-open a weave and it didn't hold up) AND it fit for the #BHMPatternDesigners challenge.

I sewed a size medium with a 1/4" forward shoulder adjustment and 1" (total) added to the circumference of the sleeve hem. It sits at the widest part of the forearm for me and I remember it being too snug last time. This way, it sits fine but I can also push it up.

Construction is a little weird IMO. The back has a (beautifully shaped!) cb seam and the neckline is finished with a binding strip. I assume this is because the curve is so tight. However, this seam allowance is 3/8" vs 5/8" everywhere else. My sweater knit was pretty thick once tripled (doubled binding plus the back piece). I ended up ripping that out, recutting the binding strip and attaching it, trimming it, and coverstitching it down. This way, I was able to line the front coverstitching up nicely.

The pattern does include instructions for a serger and has you tack the seam allowance down after sewing since the front and back necklines are already finished.

I used a slightly lighter grey with a wider needle width and really like how it turned out! The only other adjustment was to sew the side seams at 3/8" from waist to hem.

I was in leggings today as it was an off day (and failed sew day). paired with a top from Burda 8/2018

I was working on this dress from the 5/2019 Ottobre today and for someone unknown reason, cut it in a 44/46 (44 neckline, 46 everywhere else). This does NOT fit me. As the side seam is gathered, I can't take it in anymore without completely disrupting the lines. Based on *my* experience with Big4 and Burda, this is approximately equal to a Burda 44 & Big4 18.

At this point, the side seams are basted (overlapping fronts serged together), the neckline is finished and the sleeves are cut out (~ 3/4 length). The fabric is a rayon blend double knit from Metro Textiles. 

If you'd like to in-progress dress to finish up, let me know. I posted a video of the dress in my IG stories. 

McCall's Fest: 6844 and 6654

As mentioned my ponte came, with an extra 1/2 yard (woot woot!). It's not heavy enough for the Butterick knit blazer though. I've made that pattern a few times. The green one, though I wear it often, is floppy compared to the striped one made from a heavier ponte. I'd prefer a grey that is a bit heavier. So I'm switching gears a little with my mini-wardrobe.

I decided to swap that jacket for M6844. I've made it a half dozen times and really like it when it's made with a nice light to mid-weight ponte (I prefer M6996 for jersey fabrics).

Changes made this time include a pivot and slide FBA and a full bicep adjustment of 1 1/4". This sweater/jacket has such tight sleeves!!!  The first 2 times I made it, I interfaced my band as instructed. Other times I did not. I've hands-down preferred the interfaced collar. I had some very lightweight fusible that I picked up from the $1 section at Fabric Mart. It is really nice. As light as tricot but woven.

top-to-bottom: Fabric only, the interfacing I used, Pellon lightweight fusible

For my newer sewers...if you're unsure, take the time to make a test swatch with your interfacing choices. Takes but a few minutes but the right interfacing makes a huge difference!!

Since this pattern has been made a gazillion times, I'm sure you've heard about how easy and fast it is and how well it goes together so I won't belabor it.

The skirt is M6654, also made lots of times. I'm not sure how many...but it's such a great pattern. The last version I made was about 24" or so and I wanted this one longer. View D had a 28" length which was perfect. I cut the front out, held it up to me and exclaimed, "I LOVE THIS SKIRT!!!". LOL!

I also knew I wanted a slit on the left side but wanted more than just an open side seam. I wanted an opening that was about 1.5"-2". I lined front and back up, measured about 3/4" in and about 7" up from the hem (accounting for the side-seam allowance) and free-handed a slightly curved shape. I cleaned it up with my French curve and cut that out. It is EXACTLY how I envisioned!

I dug out a knee-high boot and it is equally awesome with boots as it is with heels <3 

I forgot to take them back out for a pic.

I went back in the sewing room and found the shaped scrap!

These items are SO VERSATILE!!!

I knew I needed some charcoal grey goodies!! :)

I'm super excited to finish the other two pieces -- the pants from S2061 and I think I may have enough to cut a sleeveless dress. We shall see!!

For now, it's on to Round 2 of the Bee. I made it through! This round is all about the sleeve. Since that is my jam and a recent RTW purchase by my daughter inspired me, I'm going to sew for this round.

:-D

Projects are due on the 20th so come back next week to see what I made! :-D