what to do with wool?

You know how sometimes you buy a piece of fabric that you love so much that you just can't decided what to do with it? I've got that right now, and could use a little guidance.

I have this super soft, lovely, wool blend. It's fairly lightweight, like a densely woven but thin flannel.

  

I LOVE IT! And I want to wear it this season. But because I love it so much, and paid a little bit more than i usually do, I'm feeling all this internal pressure to make something that I will not only love as much, but will get regular wear in my wardrobe.

My first thought was a high waist circle skirt, to just below the knee. It would have a vintage vibe that could be dressed up, but would it be too dressy for everyday? Sometimes you just don't know until you intruduce it into your wardrobe!  I would pattern it off this dressy Modcloth.com skirt that I own and love for fall special occasions:

http://www.modcloth.com/shop/skirts/songs-by-the-fire-skirt

Worried that it might be too dressy for real life (although, maybe I could tottally rock it day to day.... I don't know!), I thought, "what about a midi A-line? Or one with a smidge of flair? Or knee-length slim skirt?"

 

Slim or A-line? I used this pattern for my slim, lace print skirt.

Maybe view C?

But then I started to think about a cozy, casual top for fall/winter. The weight could be perfect for a flannal-type button-up. I've never made a button-up blouse before, so that's a little intimidating. Would it be tricky to fit to my petite frame? Maybe this fabric would be light enough for Butterick 5826, which I previously made in a lightweight rayon that fit fabulous with very little alterations!

 

And then I started thinking about my new navy knit dress and how much I love to wear it with tights. Maybe I should make a cozy dress to wear with tights! I know, your thinking, "but look at all the trouble your having with your grey dress." Should I really start another dress? I may not have it finished until spring OR may run into the same frustrating fit issues! But how cute would these dressed be in cozy purple wool?

 

Look! "VERY EASY" It can't be that bad...

 

Maybe I could use the same pattern that I drafted for this three-hour dress, already altered and fitting?

So, really, what should I do with my wool? HELP!

problems with my slow sewing

You may remember that, although punctuated by quick, instant gratification projects, I've been working very slowly on  McCalls 6503, inspired by a pin on pinterest.com in a woven, grey, linen-like fabric. I'm allowing myself to take the time to practice good construction and techniques... or that was the plan at least.

I had the bodice beautifully constructed, all hand basted then PERFECTLY top-stitched in place. (I thought I had a picture, too....). Then I was able to try it on and it fit TERRIBLY! The waist was right, but from there up everything was huge. I should have known to shorten the bodice right on the paper pattern, I'm 5" tall!  So with everything so meticulously top-stitched, I opted to carefully cut a new neck, shoulder and arm opening a full inch down, all without unpicking the side seams or mid-drift. So much for good technique....

After all that, the bust will still too baggy! (I call pants with a baggy seat "diaper butt".... and all I could think of was that I had "diaper boobs!) I tacked the shoulders up another inch, and still diaper boobs! I was ready to throw the whole project away... except I really wanted this dress! And really, maybe practicing slow sewing is not really about executing everything perfectly, but taking the time to problem solve and achieve good fit and not just throw it away when you don't get that gratification the first (or second, or third) attempt.

Despite my attempts to save my beloved mid-drift, I cut it off and will have to remake it. I'm experimenting with darts or tucks instead of gathers to eliminate the diaper boob, and this time will make sure the bust fit is right before, for a second time, attaching and perfectly top-stitch a new mid-drift.

a pinterest make

I LOVED my maxi-skirts this summer and have been trying to find the right way to style them for fall. I was inspired by this image on pinterest: 

Image from stylemint.hardpin.com

I had yards and yards of blue, floral challis from my mom's stash, and used McCall's 6567 to whip up a simple elastic-waist maxi skirt. My fabric doesn't read quite as blue as the inspiration outfit, so I'll have to make sure to punch up my outfit with accessories or else this look could go frumpy really quick!

I then used New Look 6216 (same pattern used for my slouchy-lace t-shirt), this time view A and added cuffs at the wrist. I had some grey, rib-knit in my stash from a $1.95/yard sale. It sewed up really great on my serger! And I did a much better job with the neck band this time!

The top is a little long for me, so after these pictures were taken I shortened it just a few inched and finished it with a band so it fit a little more snug right above my hips. I'm really loving this simple pattern! I think it will be my new go-to casual top pattern, although I have a Renfew project planned for the near future....

happy halloween!

My Halloween costumes for me and  Mr. Sew Rachel are yet to be worn (party is actually tomorrow night) but here's a Halloween treat for you! I made a little outfit from my costume scraps, modeled by Maggie May and Filbert. Happy Halloween!

new pants

OK... so I didn't actually make the pants. (You may remember that I tried to make pants this spring but got so discouraged that they are balled up in my sewing drawer with the pins still in them and everything!)  But what I did do was make them work.

Picture yourself browsing you local Goodwill or thrift store, in my case looking for crummy jeans to paint in, and what do you find hanging on the end of the rack but a pair of like-new mustard yellow jeans (and I am SOOO into mustard yellow right now!). You try them on and they fit perfect! Except....

I'm 5" tall. So I'm pretty used to finding long pants in stores. I bought them anyway. The only issue with shortening this particular pair is that they had zippers at the ankle. "That will be a pain," I thought! That is , until I realized I could hem them completely above the zipper!

I carefully took out the zippers (Mustard yellow metal zippers... I'm holding on to these for a future project!), then finished the raw edge on my serger and folded up once for the new hem, using perfectly matching thread leftover from my picnic blanket skirt.

I'm saving those for later!

Thrift store shopping is one of the ways you can make some sewing skills really pay off! Now I have a pair of perfect length, on trend, nearly brand new, mustard yellow skinny jeans for less that $5!

orange with sparkle toenail polish for Halloween! so hot!

a present from my sister!

I promised that I'd show you the awesome infini-scarf my sister in Philadelphia crocheted for me, and here it is! It's really long, and so soft because it's made of BABY ALPACA FUR!

a decorative edge

and of course, a grainy selfy :)

fast sewing & slow sewing

First off... NO ONE ENTERED MY GIVEAWAY!  :(  A friend mentioned that maybe all of you readers were sewing admirers, but not sewists yourself. That got me wondering... how many of my readers sew? Let me know below if you'd care to share. And now... on to the sewing!

First: fast sewing!

This week I was making a costume for a friend that was totally kicking my butt! It was an easy design, but I was going without a pattern and using these awful-to-sew-with costume fabrics; slippery metallics and inexpensive sheers. I needed a quick sewing pick-me-up after that!

Enter the slouchy, lacy t-shirt! Kimono sleeves, simple banded cuff and neck binding, 4 pattern pieces and 11 total lines of stitching, mostly done on my serger. It took me about a hour from start to finish, a perfect palette cleanser after the gold and sheer orange monstrosity! (Which actually came out just fine and my friend was super pleased....)

I used New Look 6216, view B with the cuffed sleeve for a little extra length. I forget how much I like New Look patterns. They always seem to have simple, stylish designs that are easy to make your own, and are always affordable. 

This was my first time installing a narrow band for the neckline on the serger (and probably only my 2nd or 3rd time doing this finish on any machine!). I didn't do a great job. The band width ended up very uneven, but It was a good learning experience and doesn't bother me enough to not wear the shirt. I also made the pattern size I measure at, which is actually a size or two bigger than what I usually make, so it's nice and slouchy! For solid, everyday t-shirts I'd make a smaller size. 

Now the slow sewing...

Inspired by a pin on pinterest.com, I'm making McCalls 6503, view D in a woven, grey, linen-like fabric (not sure the fabric content, probably a synthetic or synthetic blend) that I picked up for free from my mom's stash! I got the pattern on sale at Joann Fabrics and only had to buy thread, buttons, and a zipper, so the whole dress is costing me under $6! On this project I'm really taking my time to practice good technique; hand basting the placket, pressing each step, finishing every seam. So far I have most of the bodice constructed and it's looking very nice! Setting sleeves will take a little time because I have very narrow shoulders, but I'm giving myself that time to pay close attention, working on it a hour or two at a time.

AND let myself take a break from this dress to whip out a fast project whenever I have the need to make something quick!