Catch up post...

Before surgery, I sewed this McCall's knit top - M7836. I don't know where I got this ponte from but it is really nice and while I like the top, it wasn't the right choice. I'm not sure how much wear the top will get. 

I don't remember all (any?) of the details, but I am sure I did a swayback adjustment and adjusted for my large bicep. I think I shortened it too :)

I finished the Ottobre jackets for the boys. 

They really turned out amazingly well!!

There were some pre-surgery knitting projects - a vest and some hats that I donated:

Because Lily is me, you can see that the armhole is a bit too wide. 

I suck at poms

This one was better :)

knitting a hat in 45 minutes is very rewarding...

I donated 6 hats total. 

I'm not sure that I'll return to Instagram. I'm just not interested in Reels. If I see one more thing "thrown" at the camera, I'm going to chuck my phone. Plus, all of the sudden movements (jerking, flashing images, etc) is a nightmare for me and sometimes makes me physically ill. So I just stay away most of the time. 

Also, I finished my sweater today (Rav page)! I have membership on the Knit It Now site and it allows you to create custom patterns on demand. There are base patterns, you enter your desired measurements and stitch gauge, and it creates a pattern:

This is a simple bateau/boatneck so the front and back are basically rectangles, creating a drop shoulder. BUT, with this one, the front neckline is very slightly shaped so it doesn't come all the way up your throat :) I decided to add a little fair isle to the sleeve using the machine electronics. I used one repeat of the pattern, which was 44 rows. On the first sleeve, it popped up 44 and I stopped, I was supposed to knit one more row and forgot that the machine will ping when it has completed a repeat. I got it right on sleeve 2 so they don't match but, who will know besides me and y'all?! :-D

I made one other mistake, I changed the armhole drop. I don't know why I did this. DOH. I made it 8.5" which is a 'normal' drop and this drop shoulder style would have necessitated a lower sleeve drop. Blergh. It's still wearable and I really(!) like it, so I will definitely update it and knit another version in the future. 

I'm Still Here!

I have an answer to my complete lack of energy - I am anemic. I am not surprised...but it explains so much about why I'm barely functioning at times. 

I really had to push myself to get my project done for the State Fair, and there were tears! But I finished it and dropped it off last Monday. I also entered a pair of socks, the lilac baby sweater I made, and a sewn garment; I entered the top I made for the Rebecca Page tutorial on gathering with the serger. I'll find out on Thursday if I placed with any of the entries!

I used my standard gauge Brother with lambswool yarn from Colourmart. They sell these sets, referred to as "flops", and I paid $30 for this 300g (about 10.5 oz) set. The sweater clocks in below that. I actually mixed two sets of flops - one was reds and pinks, the other varying shades of brown. 

My original plan to was to do the lower ribbing in the light pink and the neckband in a very light tan. The light pink yarn gave me DRAMA AND GRIEF! It had so much more twist in it compared to the other colors. I ended up combining it with the pink and I love how that turned out. I also intended to insert the sleeves the other way - with the sleeve that has a pink cap on the brown side but I messed it up and there was no way I was going to redo it!

I used a custom pattern from the Knit It Now site. I made swatches and washed them up and the fabric that felt the nicest was the tension I went with. You enter your tension, size and dimensions and it spits out a pattern. 

For the front, it suggested 174 stitches. I divided that number in half and added 1 stitch to account for seaming. 

The two pinks pooled differently in the ribbing which is mostly okay but it is very noticeable here!

For the wide stripes, I calculated based on the number of total rows (286) and found the factors and decided on chunky blocks of 22 rows. This meant I had to weave end the start/end of each color change - WHEW! For the narrow stripes, I did the same but wanted to carry the yarn (really, more than 2 or 4 rows becomes a little tough). I included the band of plain pink and wish I'd bordered it with the brown but...it's fine. I did 4 rows of pink and 8 rows of brown. In the sleeve cap, this caused a problem. I didn't have as much give in my cap because of carrying the yarn and could NOT fit the sleeve into the armhole when I was trying to link them together. Lightbulb moment -- I placed the sleeve first and then eased the armhole in. Once I steamed it, it was perfect!

I THEN had some issues with the neckband. I wanted to do a doubled band but I could not understand the backstitch technique. THERE WERE TEARS! I came home from my trip at 1 a.m., woke up that morning, knit the neckband and attached it, seamed it up (I'd weaved in most of the ends on the car ride to/from Chicago) and drove to St. Paul to drop it off at the fair...all to be back home in time for a 2 p.m. meeting. WHEW! LOL! 

Speaking of, I was in Chicago for a bridal shower that had a tea party theme. I had some cute Burda options, but just couldn't muster up the energy to sew anything new. I scored this dress last summer for $40 and it was really fitting for the occasion! It helped that I found a fascinator in a blue that was close enough to work.

I also got more yarn to finish up this sideways knit that I started at knitting camp. I posted a video to my IG grid (@dressmakingdebacles) showing me knitting the lower ribbing. It took about 5 minutes and I said it's my recruiting tool to get people in MK! :) Just need to weave in ends!

Not a new project, but I wore this silk blouse recently (Burda 10/2021) and my goodness, I need ALL the silk tops! It just feels so good on! 

The shorts for my daughter are coming along except, they are just going to be too big for her. She has lost some weight and she is already very thin. I couldn't take them in too much without distorting the features. So I'm going to finish them and we'll see what comes! 

I just need to stitch in the ditch, secure the belt carriers and add a hook & eye. I also have to decide how I'm going to hem them. The pattern includes separate pieces for the turn-up cuffs, but I'm not sure I have enough fabric for that. And, I tried to just do a deep hem that I'd fold back, but there is a lot more fabric at the stitching area compared to the cut edge. But I don't think a regular hem will look good with this length. 

Next up, another pair of Burda 2/2013 pants (HERE) that will transition into fall well. And I'm going to make the boys some matching jackets using this Ottobre 4/2022 pattern:

I'm looking forward to them! I ordered fabric from Mood in 2 colors and plan to colorblock them and hope to incorporate some of the leftovers from theirs into my Style Arc Kennedy jacket :) I also ordered some swatches for lining choices for my fall blazer plan. 

I should get the shorts finished, but there may not be any other sewing this month. I have a BUSY workweek ahead, a doctors appointment on Thursday that may take me out for the rest of the day, grandson's birthday on Friday, friends coming to town that day too and a visit to the State Fair on Saturday, and my husband's birthday on the 31st. 

As always, more later!

Sewing for Little Ones

When I visited Atlanta earlier this year I went to Fine Fabrics and my 6 year old nephew (technically great-nephew) picked out this BRIGHT lime green ribbed knit and asked me to make him a short set. He wanted a tee with a dinosaur on the front with a crown, and his name on the back. His twin sister also asked for a short set but she didn't have any specifics.

I settled on my Ottobre kids magazines for the patterns. For his, I used 3/2010 patterns 17 and 18. For the shorts, I left off the slash pockets and the faux-fly. Too much fussing in a ribbed knit (I could see it in a sweatshirt fleece though). I did some googling on Ottobre sizing and looking for general measurements for kids clothes and decided on size 116. I ended up cutting the shorts about 2.5" shorter (they were super long!) and I missed that the t-shirt sleeves are finished with bands until I got to the end and had a "hey, what's this piece for?" moment :)

I bought some printable HTV a long time ago but have been afraid to try to use it. It was easy as pie! I just used a Cricut image, printed it onto the HTV and pressed it on. The crown is also a Cricut image with gold HTV. 

For his name, I wanted to use white. I don't know why I keep trying to make fetch happen with this Cricut vinyl. It is trash compared to Siser! It was so difficult to press it, it was lifting while I tried to press it. I was 2 seconds away from ditching it and just cutting another back out. 

I used a spool of regular thread in the looper, in green, and gray thread in the needles and did a reverse coverstitch for the hems. 

For her, I used the 3/2014 issue, patterns 12 and 25. For the top,  I cut a size 110. She's a little smaller than her brother. I used a white cotton knit for the bands and did a twin needle stitch for the hem. 

I took a Cricut image that said "Basketball King" and edited it to remove the letters. She LOVES basketball, so I'm sure she's going to love it. Also, it isn't exactly true that she had no specifications -- she expressly said she did not want her name on it! :)

For the shorts, I could not figure out the bound leg openings! Oy! lol!!! Once it clicked, I realized I had to do a bunch of unpicking and it took me a couple days to get back to it. I used the same white cotton knit and cut the strips at 2" so I could use my larger bias tape maker. It worked out really well. Just recently I saw a RTW short and I think I was supposed to stitch the tape down to the back short piece?? IDK, they're cute. LOL! 

For his, I threaded the elastic through the casing but for hers I stitched it to the wrong side of the waistband/facing (like with yoga pants). I like this finish better and it works well with this narrower waistband. 

I can't wait to see them in their new outfits! I also bought them some new books and a set of walkie-talkies! That was something my kids absolutely LOVED when they were little. They are 17 months apart and were inseparable. I assume the twins will love running around with their walkies :)

I'm working on a sleeveless version of M7834 in a white cotton swiss dot for my birthday dress. Lots to do - buttonholes, miles of gathering and hemming...

I also plan to make Burda 7/2022 #106 for the evening. 

January Wrap-up and February Plans

This month was an interesting one...I sewed a total of 8.25 yards and 6 items. The interesting part?

I only sewed Burda magazine patterns this month. This was not intentional! Just...getting good use of my sub I suppose! :)

• Burda 1/2021 top - 1.25 yards (reviewed here)
• floral crepe ITY knit from FabricMart (stash)

• Burda 1/2021 cardigan/jacket - 2 yards (for my daughter, reviewed here)
• Cream/light tan cotton boucle from SR Harris
• D-rings, twill tape, sew-in snap

• Burda 1/2021 cardigan jacket - 2.25 yards (for me!)
• striped cotton blend boucle from FabricMart (stash)
• D-rings, twill tape, sew-in snap

• Burda 1/2018 hoodie - 2 yards
• black polka-dot sweatshirt knit from FabricMart (stash)
• zipper, eyelets, bias tape, cord stops

• Burda 6/2014 jumper - 0.75 yards (baby)
• denim blue jersey knit from Fashion Fabrics Club (stash)
• Cricut iron-on, zipper

• Burda 6/2014 jumper - 0.75 yards (baby)
• Black & olive cotton lycra knit (considered scraps so not counted in fabric total)
• Cricut iron-on, zipper

Favorite: Whew. This is tough. It was a SUPER successful month. If I had to choose an absolute favorite, I'd say the hoodie. I've wanted another (sewed this pattern before, here and here) and it has come together so well --save me managing to not have a 22" separating zipper on hand, buying a Coates & Clark (meh) one from JA and it turns out it was NOT separating,  unpicking it, and then waiting on a new one from Wawak. 

FAILS: None! Woohoo! Unless I want to hold that flub above with the zipper against myself :-p

Accomplishments: I think that I sewed simple projects this month, but infused some life into them. I really love how everything turned out. AND, 5 of the 6 were from stash fabrics/scraps. Can't beat that!

I think I wore my Burda cardigan the day after finishing it! :)

This hoodie is SO epic! 

Literally love everything about it. I'll get the zipper inserted this weekend.

One of the jumpers as a WIP :-D

This month, I purchased 8 yards of fabric:

• 1.5 yards of a Japanese striped knit from Marcy Tilton. I was inspired by Renee of Miss Celie's Pants and her awesome travel wardrobe. I have heard good things about the fabric at M.T., but never ordered. I placed my order on Saturday, January 16th and it didn't ship until the 30th. I wasn't too pleased with that and if Covid is affecting their output to that extent, it may be awhile before I order again. Not saying I don't understand or ragging on the company - *I* don't expect to wait ~3 weeks for a fabric order. 
• 2 yards of a printed cotton woven from Fabric Mart for my travel bags
• 2.5 yards of (amazing!) Brooks Brothers shirting from SR Harris for a birthday shirt for my son-in-law and a matching one for baby.
• 2 yards of boucle woven that was used for my daughter's Burda jacket

None of this fabric will be stashed - woot!

I purchased 5 patterns and 2 Ottobre kids magazines.

• Ottobre really is the best bet for kids patterns.  I paid $28 with the shipping and exchange rate (WEAK US DOLLAR ALERT!) but for $14 each, sooooo worth it. There's some good stuff in these 2 issues, especially for a California baby (hello bucket hat!). 

• I also purchased a tee/bodysuit pattern from Brindille and Twig. I've heard good things but at $7.50+ per pattern, Ottobre is hands down the better option. And now, Bert and other babies that I've made gifts for have worn the garments, and I have a better idea of their sizing. 
• I purchased 3 New Look patterns (I'm a fan of their patterns, the sizing/fit, and the price!)

I also purchased McCall's 6016 for baby as I've seen a ton of great versions and I must've purged that baby shirt pattern that I had in stash (grrrrr!)

I had a machine knitting lesson this month where I focused on learning to use the electronics of my machine - part of the issue is that I have what is technically a KH910 but the board is a KH950. So it has the capabilities of the 950, which isn't in the 910 manual...but it looks like a 910 so the 950 manual wasn't "right". I now know how to use the 950 and 910 manuals together, but there are still things I have to do manually e.g., in the fair isle swatch below, I have to keep track of how many rows to knit before changing colors where as the 950 notifies you of color changes. 

I  feel confident enough to try out a project. For now, I'm thinking something with a bit of fair isle near the hem because I still have to learn how to do decreases while working in a pattern.

A hot tip I posted on IG today:

The phone (in my case iPhone) camera, zoomed in, is an excellent resource for checking needle details!

My January plans from my last post:

finish my cardigan - DONE

knit a cowl for my mom - DONE

make some golf club covers for my brother -   Muslined. He had to cancel our fabric store trip so we're going today. 

make a hoodie - DONE (okay, fine, needs its zipper)

My February plans:

Sew M6044 for SIL

Sew M6016 for baby

Sew the golf club covers

Muslin Thread Theory Fulford jeans for my husband 

Make a pair of plaid, pleated trousers. I'm not sure on pattern yet but I know I did NOT like M7726. Maybe I'll give M7982 a go (previously muslined, never sewed them up). 

Until later!

October Wrap-Up and November Plans

Gah. It just occurred to me, IT'S NOVEMBER! Sigh. I was excited on Sunday because, new month! new week! Daylight saving!

 

But the month is off to a meh start and of course, there's the absolute anxiety of the general election and the results. 

 

This month, I sewed 3 items and 5.5 yards. I didn't buy any new fabric (I almost did! Surge Fabrics had some nice waffle knits!)

• Ottobre 5/2018 sweatshirt - 2 yards
• pink ponte from stash
• Burda 4/2018 shirt - 2 yards
• pink cotton shirting 
• buttons
• New Look 6326 skirt - 1.5 yards (WIP)
  
• wool suiting and pongee lining
• zipper, buckles

Favorites: Meh. I think my general mood has zapped my sewing energy. Nothing is grabbing me right now.

 

Fails: The sweatshirt. I hate the color. I knew I hated the color, but I guess it was more of a wearable muslin because I figured I could still wear it around the house for lounging. It isn't wearable 1) because I abhor the color and 2) because I just haven't worked out Ottobre's fit on me yet and it fits weirdly.

 

Accomplishments: Meh. LOL! The shirt is nicely sewn and the skirt is coming along.

 

I'd be more excited about this skirt if I knew I'd be wearing it when it was finished :-p

I really wanted to muslin that jacket and jeans for my husband but didn't get around to it. Partially because my hand has been bothering me a lot lately. 

November? IDK. I won't make too many plans because who knows where my mental state will take me. But, here's a few recent screenshots of RTW that caught my eye. If I do sew, it'll probably be some warm/snuggly stuff, even if I don't really need clothes right now. 

I saw this "maxi hoodie" by Nike and thought it was cool, but then not so sure about procuring a long zipper that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. The shorter hoodie is kind of the alternative...in the same vein as those, this maxi dress with the stripes down the side is cool! That could be a fun project. I've also rewatched Power lately and one of the main characters, Tasha (Naturi Naughton) was wearing this raglan, colorblocked bomber and I thought it was cute so I might copy it. We'll see!! And, those jeans are just fun!!! 

I did work up a swatch for a sweater - I'm going to aim for a simple round-neck just to up my machine knitting confidence. And again, even if it isn't great, it'll be something I can tool around the house in.

This green ruler is a quick, instant way to check gauge. I was pretty aggravated that it was like $12 but, I like not counting stitches!

A swatch for a standard gauge machine means knitting 40 stitches by 60 rows and the ruler "counts them" instantly! So here, by lining the edge up with the left marker, we see that I am just under 27 stitches. The other side of the ruler has the row measurement.

Using waste yarn at the beginning and end is your marker for the rows and about midway through, you mark the stitch just outside of the 20th for easy markers for the stitches. It's a pretty slick process! Here, my aim is 29 stitches so I'd have to dial back the tension a bit. 

So, I suppose my plan for the month is to finish my skirt, knit a sweater, and stay healthy!

A Bunch of Tops

I didn't get a chance to update here but put a post on Instagram (here) explaining why I was postponing Faye's Tops That Pop. It took a bit for me to wrap my head around my feelings about everything and ultimately, I don't feel good uplifting brands that are choosing to be silent. So, soon. We will do this soon.

These tops were made pre-challenge.  I've made all of these patterns before so they're getting lumped into this post. 

This fabric is a cotton lycra knit from Girl Charlee. I haven't ordered from there in years because of a bad experience and reading about many others' experiences. 

This fabric felt really nice when I pulled it out of the package - soft and smooth! It was much, much less so after washing. I wore it and washed it again and bleh. It won't last long :(

Size 14 with sleeve hack mentioned here and lengthened it 6" (the top in the pattern is a peplum). I intended to length the sleeves but forgot. 

Next up was another version of the Kommatia tee pattern in this printed cotton knit, also from Girl Charlee. Same pattern adjustments here - size Medium with an extra 2.5" added at the hip. 

When I made this Ottobre tee, I liked the cute print but I joked that it looked like I should be working in the pediatric wing of the hospital. This gives me the same vibes! WAHHHHH. I'm not making any more cotton knit print tees! LOL!!!

On the right, I tried it with a few garments before sewing the neckband and hemming to be sure I should finish it. I do not love it. I love the print, but the garment is meh for me. 

Next up was this top intended to copy a top I saw at LOFT. I made this pattern previously here. I chopped the sleeve but should have cut it a bit shorter. I was aiming for more of an extended shoulder look vs. a short sleeve.

The color is so me, the fabric felt really nice even after washing, but it was HORRIBLY off grain and had a giant hole in it. 

I was not pleased and will not be ordering from them again. 

Lastly, I saw this Jason Wu top during some of my RTW idea gathering time and decided to use the Ogden to copy it. 

I used my normal size 12, chopped off 6" and decided on an 8" ruffle at 2.2x the width.

I used a cotton poplin that was in my donate bin. I hated the top I made with it but I thought it was perfect for this little summer top. 

Also, I really wish I had made the ties like twice as long!!

I hemmed the gazillion miles of ruffle with my rolled hem foot. I've mentioned before that I had lots of trouble making rolled hems until I got my new machine and used the foot that came with it. EFFORTLESS. I think it's the foot design and if you have a rolled hem foot that gives you the blues, try another one! Especially if you have a machine that takes universal feet.

I promise you, rolled hems are absolutely effortless now!