Sewing Plan: Fall Mini Wardrobe

I haven't had sewing successes lately :( But I started a wool skirt and I am excited about it. So I'm going to FOCUS and create some items that I hope make me happy! 

Initially, I wanted a slit-front skirt and was going to make a black wool version of S8175. Ultimately, I decided I wanted a perfectly flat-front and am going to use M3830, view B, with side slits instead of a back walking vent. 

I also plan to knit a version of this ribbed top I saw in an old Passap magazine (the 60s Passap patterns are a treasure trove of beautiful design!). 

I want to make a pair of trousers too in a taupe or tan or other non-white nude, and at least two silk tops.

For the pants, I'm going with a TNT for me, V9032. It's been awhile since I sewed them, but ankle pants have ruled for years. This version I sewed is exaclty what I want right now!

For the tops, I plan to remake S8216 and B5965. It's been a LONG time since I've made either, but they both worked extremely well for me and I really (really!) need a win or two. 

B5965

S8216

If I can keep up the momentum, I really(!) want to make B6901 vest and pants...so we'll see how things go. 

Mid Year Check-In and July Plans

The year is off to a rough start -- in real life and in sewing plans. Oy! I looked back at my list of goals for 2022 and I've met exactly -0- of them!

• Trench Coat - I want this but have stalled. Wah. I am thinking of taking a sew-cation in August. A trench coat is a strong desire but in reality, isn't a workhorse here in Minneapolis. I'd estimate I could wear a trench for about 4 weeks in fall and maybe 4-6 weeks in spring. 
• Burda 2/2020 blazer - I don't think I ever bought lining fabric for this. I wanted a very specific color and struck out with Mood. I'd better start looking again so that I can be ready to sew this for fall! A wool blazer will have lots more functionality than the trench - I can wear it about October through May ish. 
• Formal black dress - Perhaps this should read "semi-formal". I need a dress for more serious/somber occasions, but not say, a black-tie event/party.
• LBD or LBJ(umpsuit) - I'm thinking this Vogue 1465 or Simplicity 9151 (always down for a CR pattern!)

• Blazer for him - Another project for fall. I have the fashion fabric and lining! Ooh, still need buttons though. 
• The Dress a Month fitting Challenge - So far, I've sewn patterns by Simplicity, New Look, and McCall's. I've removed Kwik Sew because I don't have any woven KS dress patterns. I also removed Viki Sews. I've replaced KS and VS with Ottobre and Patrones.  I don't think I'll get to all 12, but definitely want to finish out the Big4.

• Matching machine knit sweaters for the boys - winter project
• Machine knit trousers - I'm not sure if I'll get to these unless I find yarn on my knitting camp trip this month. I think a crepe yarn is best but don't want to buy online without help. So either I find yarn at Rockinghorse Farms or I get tips from the experts there on where to buy. 
• 5 garments for skill building
• A raglan sweater or cardigan 
• A sweater or cardigan with set-in sleeves - I found a summer project in Machine Knitting Monthly that I'm going to try!
• A dolman sweater with some type of stitch pattern (garter, fair isle, lace, something!)
• Socks - This will happen at MK camp in July
• A wrap or poncho - I may do this sooner rather than later because the office is often pretty chilly!
• Begin grad school - who knew the deadline for fall was February?! Hahaha. I can be kind of spacey sometimes so I'm not surprised I missed this little (har,har) detail. I will be applying February 2023.
• Read 3 books per month - my focus has been really off and I have only read about 5 books total this year. womp, womp.

I was going to work on my challenge pattern (a Vogue) but pivoted and started a dress for my birthday which is next week. I sewed a sleeveless version of M7834 in white swiss dot and it is SO cute! The cotton doesn't drape as nicely over Lily so it looks tight, but it isn't. It fits great! May not get photos of it on until that day but will post it. I did not make any changes aside from leaving off the sleeves, and narrowing the shoulder as needed from version 1.

In June I sewed 5 yards. 1 garment for myself, 4 kids garments, and altered 3 garments for my daughter!:

Ottobre 3/2010 #17 and 18

Ottobre 3/2014 #12 and 25

M7834 dress 

For July, I am really going to try to execute!!!!! :)

• Burda 7/2022 birthday dress
• Socks at knitting camp
• MK summer cardigan

• Butterick 6640 for my challenge in a striped cotton shirting. I plan to have fun with stripe direction!

• I really(!) want to find time to sew NL6692 as well

Wish me luck! 

How is your 2022 sewing plan coming along?

WIPs and Fitting and Stuff...

This has been a weird month. I feel like nothing has happened and yet, we're halfway through! It's currently snowing in Minneapolis. Meh. 

I ordered from LA Finch for the first time ever! The last time I was in Long Beach visiting the kids, I posted my trip to Mood and someone mentioned I should visit LA Finch, but, they were closed. All the days I've spent in Long Beach on my visits and I had no clue I was so close! My daughter and son-in-law's place is a 5 mile straight shot down Long Beach Blvd! Next time :)

I was drawn in by the 4.5 yard (3 cuts, 1.5 yards each) of the rayon twill plaids. I was hoping at least 2 of the fabrics would coordinate and, yay! I like the red and green together. I am going to make a mixed-print shirt in the fall. 

Then I saw the pink ribbed knit (after having just purchased the True Bias tank/dress pattern). So I snatched that up (it's a bit lighter weight than I'd hoped). The white knit with tonal stripes was a remnant, so I scooped that. The yellow challis I was on the fence about but it gets me close to the mustard color that I like, but not ON me. This is nicely in the middle and I plan to make New Look 6692 or Simplicity 9326:

Speaking of New Look...

My A Dozen Drafts project is in progress. I am making NL6600 and had very minimal fit changes to make. I haven't made a ton of NL patterns but I've generally been happy with them. This is the fit on my Beatrice, straight out of the envelope, pics from my IG stories:

A couple of things that I'll dive deeper into once I'm reviewing - I realized I've incorrectly identified my shoulder point on the form!! It makes so much sense on why my last two makes were still a little wide in the shoulder. I blamed McCall's giant shoulder, but I have it marked out about 3/4" further than it actually is. Again, why I still want to do an in-person class to draft a sloper, because it isn't readily apparent where certain markers are on the body. 

Specifically to this pattern, I should have lowered the bust point a bit but otherwise, it explains why I've generally been happy with the fit of NL patterns. I shortened the bodice an inch and it fits SO well through my back. Woot!

you can see in this pic that the bust dart is a little high

This fabric?! Oh my word. It is so difficult to work with. As a sewing friend said, it's a very sassy fabric! It won't listen!!! So while I'd planned on the print being vertical on the body, it was NOT working to go on the crossgrain so I gave up. This pattern takes surprisingly little fabric (caveat: sleeveless and shortened 6") so I have another cut that may work for a #2. 

Speaking of the Beatrice :) 

I still owe a review. I want to learn where *MY* markers are on it though. This dress was started during the pandemic (Burda 5/2019). I got it to the basting stage and bwahahaha! It did NOT fit. I folded it and put it away. 

Now, I have decided it isn't worth trying to make it work, but I will remake this dress 1) in a bigger size(!) and 2) with the necessary adjustments.

Shoulder is wrong:

While I commented that the back 'v' fit well...that's not true as the whole dress is too small and who knows how the back will fit in the right size.

maybe 2 sizes bigger? lololol!

ain't no butt room!

my waist point (twill tape) vs the pattern seam (my finger)

And we can again see the INCHESSSSSSssssssss of too smallness.

But my NL dress is working out well, so let's stick with that :-p

On the machine knitting front, I bought this Target cart to hold my Hague linker. It's fine but I hope I have the chance to get an actual stand. I'm going to a MK seminar next weekend and I may find one there. Otherwise, I'll eventually order one from Hague (in the UK), but I will have to be able to get an electric winder too to make the shipping worthwhile :-D So annoyed I didn't know they were available when I ordered the linking machine!

Thought I like the extra shelf options!!

And, I finished the cardigan!! I think it's about a size 5/6 so I made it with my friend's 4.5 year old in mind. I used the linker for all the seaming - the raglans, the band, and the side seams. The lavender yarn was actually a bit thick for the linker so I used the teal, I hope to find the perfect "linking yarn" that I can buy in a few colors (sort of like serger thread!). 

And I started a sweater for the youngest grandson. Not an exact match to big brother's but using the same yarn colors. 

I have ordered yarns from ColourMart (they specialize in luxury mill ends) because I can't keep being afraid to try! What's the worst that can happen? :) 

I leave you with this pic of the grandson who decided he wanted to go outside event though no one else wanted to, because it was 21 degrees. Can you spy him over by the shed? hahaha! 

Some updates...

Last Wednesday I placed a Fabric Mart order and it shipped the following day. When the shipping showed estimated "March 22", I was like, "ughhhh! that was "so far from now!" It was Friday night when I realized that was just a couple days away. Oy! This month has flown by!

Speaking of FM, I ordered 4 cuts of fabric:

-The top is a multi-colored dot print labeled as 100% rayon challis but it is very tightly woven and crisp, more like poplin. I haven't completed a burn test yet to determine if it is actually rayon.

-Fabric 2 is a cotton/rayon washed look shirt weight. I LOVE IT! It has great drape, is just opaque enough, and the washed/distressed look is really cool. I ordered 4 more yards (it's 54" wide) to make a jumpsuit - probably Simplicity 8060. I like jumpsuits, I own quite a few, I have no issues going to the bathroom. LOL!

-Fabric 3 is a really pretty floral rayon/modal/lycra jersey. And it's 66" wide - score! 

-Fabric 4 is a ditsy floral print that's also rayon/modal/lycra and it's 64" wide. 

I have 11 days left this month, as anticipated, I won't catch up on my Dozen Drafts challenge this month, but I think I'll hit the rest of my plans, which included making a black cardigan and finishing a WIP. I plan to finish this oversized shirt from Burda 10/2019 that I started December 2020. My gosh! I think I was bothered that the (odd) pockets didn't quite turn out, and the fabric is really stiff. Now, I am on board with an overshirt style...and will attempt to soften the fabric in the washer once the shirt is done.

I also had a goal of completing two machine knitting projects. For one of them, I went WAY complex! 

I saw a pair of wrist warmers in a plaid pattern and thought they were incredible. I commented and asked a question and lo and behold, the maker is here in Minneapolis. She introduced me to a local machine knitting (MK) community and I've already joined, attended a meeting, and am thrilled to have found the group. If you follow me on IG, you've probably seen my MK adventure with this plaid. It's a pattern made using hand-manipulated intarsia and slip-stitch on the main carriage. The first took many hours to actually finish and the second one was done within 3 hours. 

I find the pattern SO striking!!! 

My mom text me to ask me to make her a sweater using the technique. hahahahahahahahahaha! I love you but, NO!

Speaking of sweaters, Rebecca has this sweater as inspiration and I will totally be knocking this off in my own way, once I am confident enough. I LOVE THIS SO MUCH!

One of my earlier sweater attempts, a slash-neck style, isn't going to work. I was trying to decide if I should complete it, but seeing it on Lily, there's just not enough room at the waist and hip, and it's too long. So I feel okay with letting it go. I'm sure the yarn is acrylic, so I probably won't unravel it or try to save the yarn.  

I bought this adorable little stuffy this weekend, and named her Lola! Haha! It's so squishy and soft!

I picked up this cute magnet too:

February Wrap-Up and March Plans

Another month down, 2022 is a runaway train!! :)

This month I sewed 1 yard. Ah. I'm going to get my mojo back. I can feel it! 

I sewed Burda magazine 10/2021, a top in a deep brown silk. I also finally made some good progress on Simplicity 1325. I did not cut out anything for A Dozen Drafts. But also, it was a busy month. 

While on a trip to Vegas and the Phoenix area, I visited SAS Fabrics. They carry a lot of fabrics that I have purchased and have seen at Fabric Mart. The colors in this print ITY jumped out at me and the piece was 1 5/8 yard, at $3.99/yd. SCORE. I am thinking of making Vogue 1250 if I can get the pieces to fit (my size calls for 1 7/8 yd)

I had another set of goals for February: Finish 2 sewing projects, Finish 2 knitting projects, Read 2 books. 

• I finished one sewing project (the brown top) and added the bodice lining to my S1325 dress. I hand basted in a zipper and let the side seams out a bit through the middle back and waist:

I started this on January 26th. It stalled and it finally dawned on me that I wasn't fully feeling it. But I wanted to finish it to check the fitting process on my Beatrice (I'll talk more about this fit on me vs what I observed on my dressform when I review the pattern). I put a couple of tops that I'd layer this with on the dressform and got inspired to get back to it. 

CUTE! :)

• I finished THREE knitting projects! Wooohoo!! My hat and scarf, blogged here 

and I finally finished my grandson's sweater:

• I read one book: Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

It was a really great read! An extremely moving story, characters that came to life on the pages, and it was a page turner. This was Ms. Wilkerson's debut novel and I can't wait to read more.

• Exercise at least 30 minutes, 5 times a week. 

I did not meet this goal, but I did pretty well and lost 4lbs from Feb 1 to Feb 27.

I finished the month with a 1:1 with the biggest grandboy. Each time I see them, I can't believe how much they've changed. It's so wondrous watching kids grow up. 

It was a balmy 37 degrees in Minneapolis on Saturday. We went to an indoor playground, stomped the squishy snow, and went to lunch. <3

What's Next?

For March, I am setting more goals!!! 

• Swap out some closet items - Though spring hardly ever actually shows here, the body and spirit knows! :) I always struggle with my wardrobe around this time. so I will pull in some brighter/softer colors to get through the rest of this dreaded winter. 

• Finish S1325 - It needs skirt attached to bodice, zipper, and hem.

• Sew another garment for A Dozen Drafts - I don't think March will be the month I catch up, but want to definitely get another garment done this month.

• I’m managing the Upcycle Contest on Pattern Review this month! 

• Black cardigan - I have a very nice wool double knit, and would like to make a longer cardigan. I feel like that's a wardrobe hole.

• Finish one WIP - I have 4 WIPs that I really do want to finish and will get to at least one of them this month. 

• Make 2 machine knitted items - can be for me or for gifts. I just need to get myself in there using my machines more consistently.

• Read 2 books - Reading more is an important goal for me. The pandemic left me spending way more time sitting in front of the tube than I normally would. 

• Continue working on exercise, diet, and flexibility. 

Until later!

January Wrap-Up and February Plans

This month I sewed 2 1/4 yards from stash - the Simplicity 1325 which is still in WIP status. 

I made really good progress from the time I started the fitting process, then I got hit with a pretty bad migraine attack and lost all of Saturday and Sunday. Womp, womp. 

But, I have always counted fabric totals as "out" from the time I cut the project out, so it will still be recorded under January's totals. I "just" (haha) need to sew the bodice and lining together, insert the zipper, attach it to the skirt, and hem! That's "all"! :-p

I added 5 patterns to the stash from Style Arc, and also added 11 yards of fabric - ow. I bought 9 yards from Fabric Mart (not sure why the last photo is missing, it's a 100% cotton double border print. A french blue background with pale pink and white irregular spots. It's very pretty and I can't wait to make a dress from it this summer!

We flew into Nashville for my stepdaughter's wedding the second to last weekend of the month. Between the two of us, we have 2 girls and 3 boys. Both girls are married now and neither of the boys are! (the youngest stepson is just 16). The wedding was beautiful and my husband was honored by his Papa duties.

I was all prepared to make a dress but then work and life got in the way. So I ordered this, crossed my fingers, and decided I'd wear my navy dress from my husband's birthday if it didn't work out. This size Large is a tiny bit more snug in the hips than I'd normally go for, but it wasn't tight and worked fine. I LOVED the icy gray color on me!

On our way to the airport, I stopped by Craft South (The Fabric House is closed on Sundays) and picked up 2 yards of this Kaufmann Essex Linen/Cotton blend. I am often drawn to this color, and then remember I don't care to wear it. DOH! LOL! And, it's just the color+my complexion that I'm not a fan of. Not by my face, not on my lower half...it's just not my fave. I could potentially wear it as a jacket as the rest of the outfit would pull away. I have already kind of decided to make matching outfits for the grandsons though...so we'll see :-)

My normal everyday look + business + travel left me looking pretty tired on the day of the wedding. After googling some tips, I came across a makeup blogger that is my new fave! She also has hooded eyes and while she has dark circles under the eye that I don't contend with yet, I do have the darkness and discoloration on my eyelids that drives me crazy. The tips have helped tremendously! 

Here are a few looks where the eye makeup just really brightens up my whole face. Yay! I'm a newb and I kept it pretty basic with stuff from Ulta. Got some handmade items in there too ;-)

M6796 top

V1323 top

Burda 5/2020 silk top with M6996 cardigan

For February, I have 4 goals:

• Finish 2 sewing projects (yes, I reserve the right to include the WIP as one of the two!!)
• Finish 2 machine knitting projects. There's a WIP I want to finish, and I realized I do not own a black scarf. I'm not sure how that's possible, but it is so! I need to actually swatch, but I wanted to try out a couple of tuck stitch patterns. I want something simple, that will remain tightly woven (it's Minnesota after all!), but tuck stitch patterns curl less on the raw edges, so that's why I'm going that route instead of stockinette.

• Read 2 books
• Complete 30 minutes of exercise 5 days per week (yoga and walking counts)

I haven't decided on my February Dozen Drafts project yet. I have another wedding to attend in Denver in March...so maybe I'll make something for that :)

More later!

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!