tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059069591196463982024-02-18T20:17:08.213-08:00Cate's CraftsCate's Crafts is a place for me to share mostly my sewing and knitting projects, but occasionally other crafty stuff as well.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11456356955392295091noreply@blogger.comBlogger108125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705906959119646398.post-41218283122008897502017-08-26T17:26:00.001-07:002017-08-26T17:26:09.161-07:00Guest Room: DoneAs I said in my last post my in-laws are coming for a visit. I have one full weekend left to prepare for their arrival, but as of right now they could show up tomorrow and I would feel okay. I am super excited for them to get here; even more so now that the guest room actually resembles something habitable. After years of tiny apartments, I'm kind of blown away that I even have a guest room. Last night I finally finished the quilt for the bed, today I made curtains, and my super wonderful husband hung the curtain rod for me.<br />
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The curtains were totally easy. I got a three yard piece of fabric, cut it in half, did a narrow hem on one end, folded over the selvedges and then made a channel for the curtain rod at the top. Easy Peasy. I wanted to visually elongate the window by hanging the curtain higher and having it trail down further, but the cut table girl mis-measured. Oh well. She only charged for three and the window is still fully covered.I don't know if you can really tell in the picture (it's super hard to photograph curtains, what with them being in front of windows and all) but the curtains have a white on white pattern to them. So do all of the white fabrics used in the quilt, although the curtains were not one of those fabrics.<br />
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Incidentally, the quilt has 36 different fabrics. I had way too much fun picking out fat quarters. It's a basic nine patch pattern, alternating orange/white and blue/white blocks. I really love the chain pattern that it created.<br />
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It took ages to lay everything out because I was trying to avoid any repeat fabric combos. None of my 36 squares are the same. Finished, it's a queen size quilt, but laying it out took up a lot more space then the finished quilt. I didn't have a space in my house large enough to actually lay it all out at once.<br />
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I was totally and completely thrilled with the pieced top, however, I started loosing steam when I got to the actually quilting. I did learn a lot though. For example, I learned that I hate polyester batting. Cotton is, for lack of a better word "sticky" so all my previous quilts basically stayed where I put them and pin basting was totally enough.<br />
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I wanted to try poly batting because it doesn't make for such a stiff finished quilt. Never. Again. Everything shifted and bunched like crazy. The back of my quilt is horrifically ugly. I actually had to piece on extra backing because my back shifted so much I ended up with a naked edge.<br />
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In the end, the top of the quilt looks alright, so I'm happy enough with it, and my mother in law is much too polite to say anything about how ugly the back is. But yeah, totally not a polyester fan. The backing fabric was a poly cotton blend and it was noticeably harder to stitch though for the binding too. I had to break out my thimble and everything. Not my favorite.<br />
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At the end of the day I think the quilt looks great, and it even looks okay with my bed skirt. You may recognize that bed skirt because it used to be in the master bed-room but Husband and I got an adjustable base for our bed. I adore my robo bed, but it doesn't work with a bed skirt.<br />
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And bonus, I hung up this wonderful sea otter cross stitch that my mom made - probably sometime in the mid-nineties because that was peak sea otter obsession for me. After that I moved onto horses. Yep, I was totally that little girl. I only recently got that cross-stitch back from Mom and I was glad I had a place that I think it looks good in. Just ignore my reflection please and thank you.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11456356955392295091noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705906959119646398.post-8446965522413591872017-08-26T08:23:00.000-07:002017-08-26T08:23:21.468-07:00Cloth Napkins And AnxietySo, anxiety, it is a weird thing.<br />
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I've always been a pretty anxious person, and even when I know that there is no reason to freak out I have a hard time stopping myself. </div>
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For example, in a couple of weeks and for the first time since my husband and I moved into our new house my in-laws are coming to visit. I adore my in-laws. Really, truly, they are wonderful people and we have a good relationship. I know that they are not going to judge me for my housekeeping, my cooking, or my hospitality. But I'm also totally freaked about them coming because I am going to judge me for my housekeeping and hospitality. Not the cooking, I am a bomb cook if I do say so myself. </div>
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But because I'm anxious my brain is hyper focusing on totally inconsequential details. The fact that I still haven't finished the quilt for the guest room because it's been too hot to work on it? Meh, I got plenty of time. The fact that my napkins are artfully mismatched and I only have six of them? Oh my god PANIC!!!</div>
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I am literally loosing sleep over cloth napkins because of my stupid brain. </div>
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Solution? In this case, make some cloth napkins and move on. Sometime I choose not to give in to the compulsion because if I reward my brains behavior it will do it again in the future. And yes, I kind of think of my brain as a naughty puppy that I have to train. But sometimes you just have to pick your battles. I had 2 yards of fabric from my grandmother's stash that I had been meaning to make into napkins for a while now. </div>
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So yesterday I cut out 8 18" squares from an adorable red checked lightweight cotton and brought them to Mom's house. Napkins can be 16, 18, 20, or even 22 inch squares. I picked 18 because that is how long the ruler I could find was. If you are doing them on a sewing machine with metered corners you need to cut them larger then you want them to end up, but I wanted to do them as easily as possible. Thus, going to Mom's house. </div>
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See, my mom has a serger. Technically I have one too but I can't actually get it to work. The neat thing about sergers is that they can do a rolled hem stitch. Mom and I learned that to set it up, you should really read the instructions because it wasn't actually as easy as just take out one of the needles and get going. There was some other 1" metal bit whose function I am totally not clear on, but which made the rolled hem totally not work. But once we got it set up right it really was super duper easy. Just line of the fabric and zoom down the edge. No folding, no pressing, no metered corners and no wasted fabric. Love it! I didn't go over there with the intention of having my mom do them for me, but it did work out that way because my mom is super rad and she loves me.<br />
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Look how pretty she made my napkins!<br />
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Note: At the time that I wrote this the guest room quilt totally wasn't done, but I forgot to actually hit publish on this post when I wrote it a week ago. Now the quilt is done and I will be blogging about it, possibly later today.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11456356955392295091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705906959119646398.post-31015913975438084402017-06-30T20:35:00.000-07:002017-06-30T20:35:17.398-07:00Dress Catch-UpOkay, so wow, it's been a while since I posted anything here. I've been too busy actually crafting to write about my crafting. Which isn't totally a bad thing. Also, now that I have an Instagram I kind of feel like that's a better platform for sharing my finished objects then this is anyway. The blog is starting to feel sort of redundant.<br />
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Anywho. There are three main dresses that I've made since my last update and they kind of naturally feed into each other.<br />
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Backstory on the first dress: I got to take a class from my sewing superhero Gertie Hirsch. I went to the Puyallup Sewing Expo in March and took a class on basic bodice alterations. It was awesome. For a half hour class she really packed in a lot of great info about darts and how to alter necklines and shoulders. Plus I got to meet Gertie and she is a total sweetheart. I was so excited I thought I was going to pass out and I was kind of a spaz, but she was cool about it.<br />
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So that was awesome. Then I immediately went home and altered the shoulders of her princess seam bodice from Gertie's Ultimate Dress Book and paired it with the pencil skirt for what feels like an utterly decadent silk dress. I did also take in the pencil skirt. I'm much too straight in the hips for most standard pencil skirts. The silk is from Silk Baron, it's a dupioni called black raspberry. I needed a dress to wear to my grandma's memorial dinner, but I didn't want to look to funerial so I think the color was perfect for that. </div>
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Of course I forgot to take any pictures of the dress before dinner, so the lighting is awful in the only picture I do have because it was, like, midnight at this point. </div>
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For a dress on totally the opposite end of the occasion spectrum my next dress was for a baby shower I hosted for a friend. I used the exact same modified princess seam bodice, but I paired it with a 4 yard gathered skirt. The cherry print fabric is from Gertie's fabric line from JoAnn's and it is slinky and cool and a dream to wear, but I'm not going to lie, it's kind of a nightmare to work with. It's slippery and doesn't want to stay on grain. I lined the dress and I've never done a facing and a lining at the same time, but I wish I had on this because the neckline doesn't have enough structure to hold itself up and it actually made the waist line hang funky too. But the print is cute enough that it successfully distracts the eye (until I tell you it's wrong. Oh well).<br />
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I hastily knit the little shrug to go with the dress so that no bra straps would make an uninvited appearance. The modified shoulder feels very flattering, but it does cut in just enough that a strapless bra would be better.<br />
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I did make an Esplanade Bra (a long line strapless bra) by Orange Lingerie to wear under the silk dress but it's black and the fit needs to be refined a bit. Honestly knitting a shrug was an easier more comfortable and cheaper fix then making another bra. Especially because the yarn I used was out of my stash anyway. </div>
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And the last dress that I made was another gathered skirt. This time I paired it with the v-neck bodice from Gertie's Ultimate Dress Book. I'm very pleased, it fit perfectly with no modification at all.<br />
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The last dress was to wear to a car show and I am a total sucker for a themed dress. What can I say, Ms. Frizzle is my fashion hero. And for those of you that aren't 90s kids, that is a Magic School Bus reference. I went to Pacific Fabrics in Bremerton with my mom and we picked out two wonderful fabrics. The bodice is blue with Route 66 images and the skirt is license plates, but each plate has a sewing or quilting reference on it. <br />
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The first car is my favorite a '67 Chevy El Camino. The bottom picture is me in front of my second favorite car a '55 Chevy Bel Air. Yes. I am a totally Chevy girl.<br />
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The best part about it was that while at the show someone walked up to me to say they loved my dress and that they saw it on Instagram. Then I got featured in Pacific Fabrics weekly newsletter. It's maybe a bit silly, but I was really excited about it.<br />
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I took a screen shot of the email. Yep. I'm a dork. It was still a total thrill.<br />
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Anyway. That gets me almost kind of sort of caught up. I think I've finished a couple of knitting projects, and I'm gotten a lot done on a cross stitch project. And of course I'm sewing another dress right now. But I will save those for another update. And hopefully it won't take me another three months to get around to it. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11456356955392295091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705906959119646398.post-23337086126613694182017-03-05T17:16:00.000-08:002017-03-05T17:16:07.393-08:00Random Weekend ThoughtsOf everything in my house I think my bed is my favorite. Beyond the obvious - it is comfy and sleeping is awesome - it is a perfect melding of my skills and my husbands. This weekend it is also causing me some philosophical mental ramblings.<br />
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You see, Husband made us an absolutely gorgeous headboard. He works for a company that makes custom live edge furniture. One week he had to go absolutely above and beyond to complete a project on time and as a thank you his boss gave him a piece of wood. For those of you not familiar with wood pricing, that is a much more generous gift then it seems. Neither of us really particularly cares for the aesthetics of live edge tables so he was thinking about just selling the wood, but that weekend Nick Offerman posted a live edge headboard on his Instagram and I actually liked it so I asked Husband to make me a headboard.<br />
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I love my headboard. It is beautiful and unique and suits us and our room. I adore it. I want that to be really clear.<br />
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I think I am jealous of the headboard.<br />
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Husband and I just moved so we have been giving a lot of the "grand tour" as people see our new house for the first time. Often when we have guests they ask "can I see the bedroom? I want to see the headboard." Or "Is this the headboard?" Which is great. I want Husband to get the praise and acknowledgment that he deserves because woodworking requires a great deal of knowledge and skill.<br />
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But just once I wish someone would walk in and ask "is this the wedding quilt?" Or "Did you knit this blanket?" Or even "did you make your pillows?" See, Husband made the headboard, but I made our bed skirt.<br />
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And our pillows.<br />
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And a quilt.<br />
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And a blanket.<br />
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And our curtains.<br />
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But I feel like my contributions to our household go largely ignored. Even though, hour for hour, I've got somewhere between twice to four times as much invested in our bed, that damn headboard steals the show. Today I've been thinking about why that is. I know that some of it is that most of our guy friends are also woodworkers so they are just straight up more interested in the headboard. Also, most of them are manly men who don't feel like beds need to be made pretty with pillows and blankets. However, that doesn't explain why our non-woodworker friends who like well decorated houses are more interested in the furniture then the soft goods. What might explain it is:<br />
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quilting and knitting are considered grandmotherly and apparently we no longer have respect for the skills of our grandmothers. I've been told more than once that I am too young to knit. Conversely I have also been told that it's a shame I don't want children because it's clear from my love of sewing that I would be a great mother. I don't even known how to follow the leap of logic on that one. My point is that my crafts are inextricably linked to maternity for a lot of people and being maternal isn't really highly prized. It should be, but it just isn't. Therefore the traits associated with maternity are also not highly prized. They aren't seen as real skills because being a parent isn't seen as a real skill ("any idiot can have a baby"). Never mind that sewing and parenthood are in no way actually connected skills.<br />
Knitting and sewing are seen as a waste of time. No kidding, I got into an argument with a total stranger in a bar a couple of months ago because he told me asking for more than $20 for a hand knit hat was "Insane" I told him that a basic hat would take me a minimum of five hours and didn't I deserve to be paid for my time? He argued no, on the grounds that I "would be knitting anyway." Turns out he was a professional welder so I asked him to spend five hours welding me something because he would be welding anyway. He said no because welding was a "real skill. And beanies can be purchased for $2, so $20 was more then generous." He was an ass, but he also demonstrated two great points. Because knitting is portable and often done while multitasking it is seen as a way of wasting time. It is perceived as entertainment not work and no one is going to pay you to watch TV.<br />
And cloth goods are cheap. The monetary value of woodworking has been driven down in recent decades by places like IKEA and other cheap sources of furniture, but not as much as cheap Chinese goods and fast fashion have driven down the perceived value of blankets, pillows, sweaters, clothes ect. When I look at the quilt on the foot of my bed I see a useable link to my grandmother, I see a continuation of skills that have been practiced for hundreds of years. I see memories from my wedding. What other people see is a pile of fabric you could buy at Sears for $60. I am often ask why I bother making anything myself when it can be so cheaply purchased.<br />
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So I shouldn't be surprised that the headboard is the show stopper of my bedroom, but every once in a while I want someone to ask me if I knitted the blanket on the bed and gasp "Wow, how many hours did that take you?" Without implying that it was a waste of all those hours because I could have just bought one.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11456356955392295091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705906959119646398.post-74908730093591203452017-02-18T15:33:00.000-08:002017-02-18T15:33:36.248-08:00Log Cabin QuiltMy Grandmother passed away a couple of years ago now and I inherited several unfinished quilt tops from her. I am not really much of a quilter so I've been a bit afraid to do anything with the quilts. I don't want to ruin them. But having them sitting around taking up space in my craft room isn't a good use of them either, so in November I got up the gumption to actually work on one of them.<br />
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I started with my least favorite (although I still like it) of the tops, it a log cabin style made from truly awful double knit polyester. The fabric just screams 70s, but I do really like the colors. I felt like the quilt was busy enough on it's own that I didn't want to distract from it with quilting, so I decided to do a tied quilt instead.<br />
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I've never actually made a tied quilt before though so I enlisted my mother-in-law to help me out.<br />
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On our last visit to her house I brought the backing, some poly batting and the top and laid is all out and pinned it on her dining room table.<br />
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She has awesome curved safety pins that made the whole process much easier. </div>
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And then we started tying it all together. The poly batting that I chose required tying or quilting every 5 inches and naturally I had 6 inches in between the center of each square so I decided to tie in the center of each little red square as well as the corners between each block. </div>
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Although it didn't take anywhere near as long as quilting it would have, it was still a fairly time consuming process. But I got it done. I bound the edge using white bias binding left over from my last quilt. </div>
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Ta-Da! It's a twin size quilt so it doesn't really fit on my bed. As I get more of these tops quilted I would like to display them on a quilt ladder or something like that. Most of them are twin sized and thus not going to work on my queen size bed, but I don't mind. It's a nice way for me to stay close to my grandmother.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11456356955392295091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705906959119646398.post-29901453417600327942017-02-03T19:42:00.001-08:002017-02-03T19:42:25.902-08:00PillowsWow, it's been a while since I wrote anything. I've been super busy but not getting a lot of sewing done recently. I just finished moving and I am very happy to say that I now have an entire room for my crafting supplies. Living the dream y'all! Tomorrow I will be reveling in that craft room sewing curtains for the house. In the mean time the only thing that I have sewed in the last two months that I haven't written about yet was new pillows for the bed to go with the beautiful headboard that my husband made for us.<br />
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Isn't it a great headboard? My husband is just the most wonderfully talented person on the planet!!!</div>
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But I was going to talk about the pillows. I'm pretty happy with them. The fabric came out of my stash. I already had the pillow forms but the old cases on them did not look good with our new quilt. The white fabric came from my grandmother originally and has a wonderful white on white check pattern. I like the nice subtle visual interest. The longer middle pillow is a blue and white check that one of my knitting friends gave me when they moved. And the small pillow is the same floral cotton left over from my self drafted a-line skirt. It is also in a couple of the triangles in the quilt. I feel like it all ties together pretty nicely.</div>
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So, one of my personal preferences for pillows is that they not have visible seams. For these I did French seams on two long and one short side (because even though they will never be visible I wanted them to be neat and tidy seams). For the remaining side I hand-stitched the pillow shut using what I think is most often called a ladder stitch. </div>
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I like it because you work from the outside but it is invisible. </div>
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I was going to post a little photo tutorial about how I did it, but apparently my phone doesn't feel like cooperating because I can't get the photos to load. Oh well. They were not good pictures anyway. It's really hard to take a picture while also using both hands to sew. One of these days I might have to invest in a tri-pod and a video camera instead. </div>
<span id="goog_255449000"></span><span id="goog_255449001"></span><br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11456356955392295091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705906959119646398.post-61190314732328355192016-12-18T09:48:00.001-08:002016-12-18T09:48:44.332-08:00Achievement Unlocked: Bras!When I started on this journey of a me-made wardrobe I wanted to get to the point where I made every stitch of clothing that I had on at any given point. The two things that made that seem difficult were pants and bras. Well I have a couple of pants patterns ready and waiting for me and I just finished making my second bra!<br />
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It turns out that, although intimidating, bras are actually fairly easy. It took me a long time to work my way up to actually making one though.<br />
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First I bought the pattern and a couple of kits. Then I let those sit for a couple months while I caught up on other projects. Finally at Thankgiving I bought the Craftsy class on bra making. I am really glad I bought the class (and even happier I waited for it to be on sale). Following along with the class made it really easy to figure out otherwise difficult steps.<br />
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And ta-da! My first bra:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn1Sch2W5SRDPmdupFQbRL-cpX_r7wNYsaBqRALVVtpxHNBqVeXfK7UNna8WazRmL1kpkq9R1d4UNVmKCGaa09jVM4H1NPfaNb5DwQGziqqJw40HraZwlap8iGogqgKNWsXJg4eIawTOQ/s1600/IMG_5215.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn1Sch2W5SRDPmdupFQbRL-cpX_r7wNYsaBqRALVVtpxHNBqVeXfK7UNna8WazRmL1kpkq9R1d4UNVmKCGaa09jVM4H1NPfaNb5DwQGziqqJw40HraZwlap8iGogqgKNWsXJg4eIawTOQ/s320/IMG_5215.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I should probably have put it against a dark background so the picture popped a little more. Oh well. The fit on my very first attempt was good enough to wear, but not perfect. Fortunately the Crafsty class goes through how to fix fit issues, although this one I could have figured out on my own. </div>
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This biggest issue was that I had extra fabric in the power bar, so I just cut the pattern and overlapped it about 1/4" and that solved that problem. The band also felt a little snug so I lengthened it 1/2" my new one feels just a little loose so I think on my third I will only lengthen the back by 1/4"</div>
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I think that might be the most intimidating issue of bra making, that something as little as 1/8" or 1/4" inch can totally change the fit. </div>
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Here is my second bra:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAoWVvAE1LQdf0H-dlk-uNZsZFEjRGXlHFmy9iljSwL5SGB7l9vScBZwZ6R3Bgx3dWLErDBY3XjYuzY_btBi0sFZRlZ0ekfyr1A6JLLhN44YqEI44FbCjoIMSf2kaa9HRum5nrivRdIRw/s1600/IMG_5226.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAoWVvAE1LQdf0H-dlk-uNZsZFEjRGXlHFmy9iljSwL5SGB7l9vScBZwZ6R3Bgx3dWLErDBY3XjYuzY_btBi0sFZRlZ0ekfyr1A6JLLhN44YqEI44FbCjoIMSf2kaa9HRum5nrivRdIRw/s320/IMG_5226.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I am so in love with the colors on this one! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihmHi7LcRZwCe_j4rmpOMdcEx6C5HryW7FmVol1HyQpKdr2ISUihADZMU65-XERqCfva01e_G6UsQNy2Xeyp79te0xD_YntBQR3aHbHRqEORyJyU6Tv2BV4z7SGHz25lnc1LswFaVqoR0/s1600/IMG_5227.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihmHi7LcRZwCe_j4rmpOMdcEx6C5HryW7FmVol1HyQpKdr2ISUihADZMU65-XERqCfva01e_G6UsQNy2Xeyp79te0xD_YntBQR3aHbHRqEORyJyU6Tv2BV4z7SGHz25lnc1LswFaVqoR0/s320/IMG_5227.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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It's even fun on the inside!<br />
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So, in addition to the changes for fit I also got bolder with the lace. On the first bra I put the lace exactly where the pattern said to put lace. (By the way it's the Shelly bra pattern by Pin-up Girls in case I haven't mentioned that yet). For the second bra I sewed the cups and basically draped lace on them to figure out how I wanted to arrange it. I'm pretty happy with the result and it allowed me to use the cute neckline trim that came with my kit. I didn't use the neckline trim on the first bra because it had lace on the neckline edge of the cups, but I was just so enjoying that fuchsia I had to use it on the second bra.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF9VvmmWsZHID07W6lA34U3UyaBk0b4TpA-R0Of-kv8N8ZRb-UQTUdYCGJsOq6j4BRs0IwvC6OwecNHufnL0RQkJK52Q75lSsZcCm0Zrst7gFK8U5Ny93NjV6RoLgx95Q8uS2_NmUX7IA/s1600/IMG_5221.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF9VvmmWsZHID07W6lA34U3UyaBk0b4TpA-R0Of-kv8N8ZRb-UQTUdYCGJsOq6j4BRs0IwvC6OwecNHufnL0RQkJK52Q75lSsZcCm0Zrst7gFK8U5Ny93NjV6RoLgx95Q8uS2_NmUX7IA/s320/IMG_5221.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB7VOJ_svEiJKTPfrrNF5OmL5mKaOhstK7md2JaZSOX6f3J72IL9XlxRi-vAvf6Mjwumq0XV5HCLZtOlXYlYC1-91sf5aBsuhCerrGstFQWVHLy5HfU3nI04-41ilCqjCwMNU8t4a5l-I/s1600/IMG_5220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB7VOJ_svEiJKTPfrrNF5OmL5mKaOhstK7md2JaZSOX6f3J72IL9XlxRi-vAvf6Mjwumq0XV5HCLZtOlXYlYC1-91sf5aBsuhCerrGstFQWVHLy5HfU3nI04-41ilCqjCwMNU8t4a5l-I/s320/IMG_5220.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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It isn't quite the "butterfly lace" pattern that Beveryly Johnson recommends in the Craftsy class but I think it came out really pretty.<br />
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One word of caution: Check the heat on your iron before pressing. I sew almost entirely with natural fibers so I tend to crank the heat pretty high on my iron. Bra fabrics are mostly nylon and polyester though. I thought I had turned the heat down low enough on my iron but clearly I didn't because I managed to melt the power net for my back band. Oops!<br />
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Fortunately the kits from Bra Maker's Supply and really generous with the fabrics. I think I have enough fabric for two more bras, I just need mor underwire and elastics. So I was able to cut out a new back band piece and away I went but it was still a pout worthy moment.<br />
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All's well that ends well though and I have two pretty me-made bras! I am so happy with this newly acquired skill. I cannot wait to make more!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11456356955392295091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705906959119646398.post-20303989913625297272016-12-11T18:17:00.000-08:002016-12-11T18:17:12.107-08:00Quilted SkirtTwo posts in two days, it's a miracle! Actually it's just that my husband got me a new computer for my birthday so I'm trying to get (and maybe even stay) caught up. Blogging is so much easier when you have a computer that actually works.<br />
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And speaking of birthdays, my wonderful mother-in-law got me <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1617690740/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3D3R5QAPN5HG0&coliid=IGA7JNA6CKB4V" target="_blank">Gertie Sews Vintage Casual</a>. I think my love affair with Gertie's designs is pretty well established at this point. The book has a lot of really cute patterns in it. I am really looking forward to trying out the pants pattern. It doesn't have a fly front so it's a bit less intimidating then making jeans, but will give me the chance to practice fitting pants. <a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a><br />
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But before I takle the pants pattern I made one of the skirts.<br />
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This is the Quilted Skirt from the book. Gertie's suggested using flannel for the inside layer, but being a true Pacific Northwest girl I put the flannel on the outside! The plaid pattern also made quilting it a total breeze, I just threw on my walking foot and bisected the squares on the plaid. Here is a close up of the quilting:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWTIkNU1m7__eCNgHBubQkjhFXP52YdSQot5ziRtD76H4hq4k7kt-nzn-QmsuSq-8bc80rCkPGoIIrktv1wEUeZs6K-5C84p_1bKvASTpRxQDFn2aWApVT1zwT1pCIfveDXNL3rbIfnTY/s1600/IMG_5169.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWTIkNU1m7__eCNgHBubQkjhFXP52YdSQot5ziRtD76H4hq4k7kt-nzn-QmsuSq-8bc80rCkPGoIIrktv1wEUeZs6K-5C84p_1bKvASTpRxQDFn2aWApVT1zwT1pCIfveDXNL3rbIfnTY/s320/IMG_5169.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Having squares already there to follow made it super easy and saved me all of the time of marking the quilting lines. Otherwise this skirt would have taken hours longer to make.<br />
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I totally love the finished skirt. I think the drape in wonderful and it's super warm and cozy. I think I'm just going to live in this skirt for the rest of the winter. I might even make more in other colors.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11456356955392295091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705906959119646398.post-91126996677162643302016-12-10T15:05:00.000-08:002016-12-10T15:05:14.923-08:00Salvedged SkirtI love Halloween more than any other holiday of the year. I was really excited this year to dress up as a "Mad Housewife" like the image on one of my favorite wines. I picked out a cute 50's vintage pattern from McCall's and some inexpensive dark purple cotton. I borrowed Mom's purls and made those cute lace gloves from t<a href="http://catescraft.blogspot.com/2016/11/lace-gloves.html" target="_blank">his post</a>.<br />
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And it all went downhill from there.<br />
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It ended up not really mattering because I had a migraine on Halloween and didn't dress up or go out, but man was my dress just one problem after another.<br />
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First Jo-Ann's shorted me a yard of fabric. We all know that cotton shrinks, which is why it is important to pre-wash garment fabric, but even the store admitted that I wouldn't have lost more than a yard to shrinkage, but they also wouldn't do anything about it because I had already washed the fabric. I was a bit miffed to say the least.<br />
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So I bought two more yards of fabric to be able to lay out the remaining pieces. The new piece wasn't from the same dye lot, so even though I doubt anyone else would have noticed I was very aware that the front bodice and sleeves were a different shade than the back bodice and skirt. Grrrr.<br />
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So I get to the sewing the dress together part and it has a side zipper so I did a French seam on all but the left side seam, where I did a clean seam. Or at least that's what I was planning on doing. Somewhere I got turned around and ended up with a clean seam on the left side of my bodice and a French seam of the left side of my skirt, so I couldn't install the zipper on either side without undoing at least one French seam.<br />
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But that turned out not to matter because the dress was so big that I didn't even need the zipper to get it on and off.<br />
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So I put in the back of my sewing chair in time out while I tried to figure out how to salvage it.<br />
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At the end of the day I decided that I wasn't over fond of the neckline either, so I chopped off the entire bodice. There was just to much fabric used to not try and get something out of it.<br />
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<span id="goog_279811907"></span><span id="goog_279811908"></span>I think the skirt came out pretty darn cute. To solve the issue of it being too big, and the zipper being on the wrong side I cut up the center of the skirt and added a button band. By folding over 1/4" and then another inch on each side I got rid of the 2.5" extra inches, it didn't pull the side seams to noticeably far forward and I think the buttons are really pretty. Then I just added a waistband, hemmed it and called it good.<br />
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Here is a close up on the buttons. I added 12 of them, going all the way down the front of the skirt.<br />
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I wore the skirt for thanksgiving dinner at my in-laws house and I felt very pretty! So all is well that ends well, even if it was sort of a pain in the patootie.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11456356955392295091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705906959119646398.post-36868429167948879572016-11-25T22:01:00.000-08:002016-11-25T22:01:15.753-08:00Wristlet TutorialWelp, I had planned a great how-to blog post about this wristlet that I recently made, but I seem to have lost all of the photos that I took of the process. Oops. Here is a photo of the finished object.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuDReTWYFP8lLyCdemZ41eZ35IKj4i-LuxjkztTLfPLwWnurLXbJRKiWsbCXG8tb9tKvlS2hQw8PmtkCEOVdx0aNfdDxmJ9T5Ha5W4fiF97f8rnf27qtl6wNdETS2RJaDzVOewVry7WfE/s1600/IMG_5102.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuDReTWYFP8lLyCdemZ41eZ35IKj4i-LuxjkztTLfPLwWnurLXbJRKiWsbCXG8tb9tKvlS2hQw8PmtkCEOVdx0aNfdDxmJ9T5Ha5W4fiF97f8rnf27qtl6wNdETS2RJaDzVOewVry7WfE/s320/IMG_5102.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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It perfectly fits my phone, keys, debit card and ID, and a tube of Chapstick. It used one fat quarter, a 7" zipper and some stiff fusible interfacing. Maybe someday I will make one Ina fiddler the color and actually keep the photos.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11456356955392295091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705906959119646398.post-87158209037569317122016-11-13T18:28:00.000-08:002016-11-13T18:28:00.664-08:00Lace GlovesSo, I had a really cute Halloween costume idea, but I ended up with a migraine, so I didn't do anything for Halloween this year. Just as well because the dress I made for my costume was several sizes too big and I still haven't decided if it is worth the effort to fix. But before I knew all that I made myself a pair of gloves to go with my costume.<br />
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The pattern is called <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/ladylike-gloves" target="_blank">Ladylike Gloves</a>. It is free on Ravelry. I've actually been eyeballing the pattern for a while but never had a good enough reason to make the gloves. Sorry, the picture isn't so great, it's really hard to take a photo of your own hand. </div>
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The yarn is <a href="https://www.craftsy.com/knitting/supplies/rowan-fine-lace-yarn/33625" target="_blank">Rowan Fine Lace</a> that I had left over from a shawl. The yarn is absolutely delightful, one of the most stunningly soft yarns I've ever had the pleasure of knitting with, but I have to say knitting these gloves was a nightmare. They are done on size three needles and when I started the only size 3s that I had were exceptionally slick metal. My needles kept slipping out of my work as I was knitting. </div>
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I had to set the gloves aside while I hunted for a pair of size 3 double points in wood. Fortunately using wood did solve the slipping problem or I would never have finished these. </div>
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Although I'm happy enough with the finished object I'm not really sure they were worth the effort. I've worn them to work once, and I do like that because of the lace pattern over the fingers I can use my touchscreen and not have to take my gloves off, which is cool, they just were not fun to knit.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11456356955392295091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705906959119646398.post-28764144220410311252016-11-07T22:34:00.000-08:002016-11-07T22:34:32.704-08:00Banging Out Some BasicsSometimes a me-made wardrobe is all about cool flashy pieces that you will be super proud of but not wear too often. Other times it is all about the basics. Sunday was a basics sort of day. I managed to bang out two t-shirts, three camisoles, and five pairs of underpants.<br />
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Admittedly all of the pieces were already cut out and some of them were even partially assembled already. I had started working on them before my honeymoon but didn't finish because I had to order some stretch lace online. I hate online shopping so I was putting it off for as long as I could. In the end, I was happy with my order from <a href="https://debslaceandtrims.com/" target="_blank">Deb's Lace and Trims</a>. I got a variety of stretch laces that really do have good stretch and for less than $10 I got enough for everything I made and then some.<br />
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They may just be basic boring pieces, but man are they comfy. All the fabric is Telio Organic Cotton Jersey, purchased from <a href="http://fabric.com/" target="_blank">fabric.com</a> I bought one yard of the beige, which yielded one camisole and one pair of underpants. I bought three each of the black and the blue. I made one t-shirt, two camies and three pairs of underpants from the blue and two t-shirts and one pair of underpants from the black fabric.<br />
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The camisole and panties are both from Patterns by Gertie <a href="https://butterick.mccall.com/b6031" target="_blank">B6031</a>. If I could live in them I would. The underpants are the most comfortable pair I have every worn. They have full coverage over the bum so you don't get those awful visible pantie lines and I think they lace is a fun touch. I didn't bother making the straps adjustable and I did use the same 3/4" lace for everything rather than a thinner lace. I love love love the camisole pattern because it has adjustable cups. Heaven.<br />
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The t-shirt pattern is by <a href="https://kwiksew.mccall.com/k3766" target="_blank">Kwik Sew</a>. I find it to be an easy pattern and a well-fitting t-shirt. I've made it so many times now that I have literally lost count. T-shirts are my go-to when I don't feel the need to look pretty and I'm not going to work. I love them.<br />
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Sorry for the total lack of pictures. You will just have to take my word for the fact that everything fits like a dream. I don't think I will every get to the point where I am willing to post a photo on the internet of me in my underwear.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11456356955392295091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705906959119646398.post-56476673487997064502016-10-23T09:47:00.001-07:002016-10-23T09:47:44.478-07:00Finished JacketIn my <a href="http://catescraft.blogspot.com/2016/10/interliningunderlining-jacket.html" target="_blank">last post</a> I talked about underlining the <a href="https://butterick.mccall.com/b6390" target="_blank">Butterick 6390</a> jacket for a bit of extra warmth, well today I'm going to talk about installing the regular lining for the jacket. <div>
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Because of the flannel underlining, I decided to line the sleeves of the jacket, not just the body as originally instructed. So I sewed the front, back, and sleeves onto the jacket then did the same for the lining. </div>
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Here they both are. The shell is right side out, the lining is inside out, that way then they are put together all of the raw seams are to the inside of the jacket. </div>
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Then I inserted the lining into the shell. The trickiest bit here is making sure that the sleeves don't twist otherwise they will bind and not be comfortable. Another note on the sleeves, when sewing them to the body keep in mind that the shoulder seam actual sits forward of the shoulder, not on top, so don't try to match the top of the sleeve to that seam. </div>
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Next, I pinned every opening, starting with the neck, then the bottom, then the sleeves, and finally the front. The front of the jacket folds over to create the button band and to secure the lining to the shell. I followed the fold line on the pattern piece, but I think I messed it up a bit because my collar comes all the way to the neck edge and my bottom band was very nearly too short, but in the end I am happy with the fit and I didn't bother sewing buttonholes all the way up the band so I doubt that anyone would notice the collar isn't right (except of course, that I just told you. Oops). </div>
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Once everything was pinned in place I sewed the button band. </div>
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Next, I sewed on the bottom band. This required the most careful pinning just because it was so long and the lining is super slippery. It really didn't want to stay in place. That was also the reason that I pinned the lining in place even though I knew I would be removing those pins to add the cuffs, collar, and bottom band. </div>
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Finally, I add the collar and cuffs. The pattern directions skip adding the collar. On step 30 they don't show it attached, but on 31 they do with not a word on how to sew it on. Fortunately, it is pretty easy. Unfortunately, I totally forgot to take pictures. Just fold and press it in half, right sides together, sew the two short edges at 5/8", clip the corners and turn right side out, press again. Pin and then sew one edge to the neck, flip it up, fold over the inside edge and top stitch it down. </div>
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The cuffs were means to have button closures, but the sleeves were wide, and I didn't like the pattern's sleeve placket or lack thereof. I was going to add my own, but frankly, I got lazy, and ultimately just sewed the sleeves shut and sewed on the cuffs. </div>
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Ta da! Almost finished jacket. It just needs buttons and buttons holes at this point.</div>
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It took me a couple more days to get that far. Gosh darn that whole having to go to work thing, right? Just kidding, I love my job, but it sure does cut into sewing time.</div>
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Yesterday I went to the PNW Socktober Yarn crawl, (and yes, I will have a post about that coming up) and took a moment to model some photos of the jacket. </div>
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I just love the contrast top stitching, especially on the back, it really shows off the structural lines of the jacket so well! They are much more eye-catching in person than in the photo. </div>
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And I got the best compliment that a home sewer can get, a random stranger asked me where I bought my jacket because they wanted one too! I love my new jacket, and I am happily anticipating getting a lot of wear out of it. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11456356955392295091noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705906959119646398.post-39773508483276108162016-10-16T18:48:00.002-07:002016-10-16T18:48:42.116-07:00Interlining/Underlining a JacketI'm sure it will come as a surprise to absolutely no one that the fall sewing patterns are out and I've started working on one by Gertie. Here is a photo of it that I pulled off of <a href="http://www.blogforbettersewing.com/2016/08/new-butterick-patterns-by-gertie-for.html" target="_blank">her blog</a>.<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Rd439mzazUbLiuxpLSpfkVbMTW61sMnBKAcJSTQuGkxl9pxZOjPkuddq1VGEFMk654kWu9Gc-hXRuIuysKt4rg35PJPhPzHgRNKgYIFY8kmZuCzMEwPx0ZZwAvg0dz6pmjhn8Bn6zazz/s640/B6390_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Rd439mzazUbLiuxpLSpfkVbMTW61sMnBKAcJSTQuGkxl9pxZOjPkuddq1VGEFMk654kWu9Gc-hXRuIuysKt4rg35PJPhPzHgRNKgYIFY8kmZuCzMEwPx0ZZwAvg0dz6pmjhn8Bn6zazz/s320/B6390_01.jpg" width="232" /></a></div>
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To be perfectly honest I think it looks a little dorky buttoned all the way to the top like that, but it would be cute with the top button left undone and it's the perfect jacket for fall weather. </div>
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I was recently gifted significant yardage of a black poly/cotton blend bottom-weight by one of my stepdad's coworkers and I thought it would work well for this jacket. I'm lining it with an anti-static polyester. I wanted some kind of cute print, but I couldn't find one that I liked at Jo-Ann's so I went with my signature shade of blue instead. </div>
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In addition to lining the jacket, I am also underlining or interlining it (I've seen both terms used and I'm not sure if one is more or less correct than the other). </div>
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I've never tried underlining a garment before, but I think it's a neat technique. Basically, you use a second fabric to change the characteristics of your outer fabric. So you can add opacity to a sheer fabric, or add body to a limper fashion fabric. It can also be used to hide stitches when hemming because you just pick up the underlining fabric. In this case, I'm adding flannel to my shell fabric to add warmth without adding significant bulk. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Qxr7n2jcsTqckFPHfxAAMA-4bPgXZWHB5Px2hTTHWglIx7pCCB4Zmq23jJKjfl0nsRoLaTSsOSpr1q9eaodGm-vYh0AJNiMxwN8QEHwInld7ChCi61LpnMU9erXfXEBD0Au2KvQCvn8/s1600/IMG_4850.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Qxr7n2jcsTqckFPHfxAAMA-4bPgXZWHB5Px2hTTHWglIx7pCCB4Zmq23jJKjfl0nsRoLaTSsOSpr1q9eaodGm-vYh0AJNiMxwN8QEHwInld7ChCi61LpnMU9erXfXEBD0Au2KvQCvn8/s320/IMG_4850.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Sorry, I can't figure out how to rotate the picture. Anyway, here you can see my lining fabric on top, my shell in the middle and the flannel on the bottom.</div>
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When you underline a garment you cut your outer fabric pieces, then you cut the exact same pieces out of your underlining fabric and hand baste them together. I maybe could have thrown on my walking foot and sewed them together that way, but you want the grainlines to match and it's easy for fabric to twist on the machine, so I took this as an opportunity to practise using a thimble. </div>
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I've already sewn the underlining to the shell in my photo. The underlining fabric will be completely hidden in the finished garment, so it didn't really matter what color I chose, I picked the blue 1) because I didn't want to risk muddying the color of my lining fabric and 2) because it's easy to see at a glance which fabric is which. The underlining fabric becomes the wrong side, so the contrasting color makes that easy. </div>
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And speaking of wrong sides, if your shell fabric doesn't have a right and wrong side, like mine didn't, you are going to be designating one here, so make sure that you have right and left side pieces, not two rights, or two lefts. </div>
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I've got all my underlining fabric sewn to my shell, so now I'm working on actually sewing the jacket together. From this point on the underlined pieces are treated as normal fabric pieces. Because of the underlining I am having to change the lining too. The original pattern doesn't call for the sleeves being lined, just the body, but flannel doesn't slide well over other fabrics, so I'm adding lining to the sleeves. My next post will be about how I make that change. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11456356955392295091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705906959119646398.post-54418555407818318152016-10-09T10:05:00.001-07:002016-10-09T10:05:56.506-07:00It's Socktober!Hey y'all,<br />
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Don't you just love the myriad funny words that October gets turned into? I find it really amusing. My favorite one by far is Socktober though. I love knitting socks. I've always got a pair going because they are the perfect project to keep in your purse and pull out during downtime. Just remember to wrap the ends of your DPNs with rubber bands so you don't loose stitches or one of your needles!<br />
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On the other hand, I finish socks really slowly because they just live in my purse.<br />
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So my most recent pair I started back in August and I just finished the second sock last night. I was putting off doing the Kitchener stitch, the toe has been finished since Thursday.<br />
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So there they are. The Pattern is <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-weasley-homestead" target="_blank">The Weasley Homestead</a> by Erica Lueder. I really love her sock patterns. It tickles me that they are all Harry Potter inspired, but mostly I just like that they fit well, I love the way she does her heels and toes, and I've never had one end up slouchy on me. There is nothing worse than having to constantly dig into your boot to hitch your sock back up, right?</div>
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The yarn is Serenity Sock weight yarn, I got it at JoAnn's a while back. It was dirt cheap, but it is more of a light fingering than a proper fingering weight. The color combo is delightful, it's the same brand that I used to make Husband his <a href="http://catescraft.blogspot.com/2016/08/socks-for-hubby.html" target="_blank">Wedding Socks</a>. I got a sock and a half out of one skein, so I've got a bit left over now. I might try for a pair of anklet socks before I toss it in the Sock Yarn Scrap Blanket bin. I've got two more skeins in black (I said it was dirt cheap, right? I stocked up). I will probably use the black to make a pair of socks for Husband. He does like boring colors. </div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11456356955392295091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705906959119646398.post-30911861785512530722016-10-04T08:35:00.000-07:002017-08-27T15:16:08.057-07:00Linen Tunic Pattern<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Ah fall, it is by far my favorite time of year. It is the time of year for showing off cute sweaters before they are hidden underneath bulky winter jackets. It's also got the best color pallet, dark greens, rusty reds, navy blue and black. I love it.</div>
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I decided to celebrate the fall this year with a new knitted tunic. I had some wonderful linen yarn (<a href="http://www.knitpicks.com/yarns/Lindy_Chain__D5420254.html" target="_blank">Lindy Chain</a> by knitpicks.com - who I am totally not affiliated with, I just like it) that was recycled from a different sweater that I knit but never wore. Linen has absolutely wonderful drape, which made it perfect for a loose fitting a-line sweater, but less than ideal for the more fitted cardigan I had originally knit. Live and learn.</div>
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So I searched Ravelry for a top-down, a-line, crew neck, short sleeve tunic, in a fingering-weight yarn, but such a pattern didn't seem to exist. So, I wrote one, and now I'm sharing it with you.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT7GF5VWPz5v8uLvrkTG9pcKLra8mfQIZQo2UPn0KdL3yjSnLTImlLmo5BfMvSpF8VH1bsF_8jXCa_3PBSzha1I_jKv7_xXRZFhSuSxUHVOw1o6rW74qpdPPbEMahRI19CwK80UU6ToXQ/s1600/Tunic+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT7GF5VWPz5v8uLvrkTG9pcKLra8mfQIZQo2UPn0KdL3yjSnLTImlLmo5BfMvSpF8VH1bsF_8jXCa_3PBSzha1I_jKv7_xXRZFhSuSxUHVOw1o6rW74qpdPPbEMahRI19CwK80UU6ToXQ/s320/Tunic+7.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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I think this is a great transitional piece because when it's still slightly warmer is looks great over some leggings with just a cami underneath, but as the weather cools it will work with a long-sleeve shirt and a pair of jeans instead.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqAXiRT91KF2xzuOMYZ7t53U3DLTHMPm2_-OHin8J6qeBl7yEAG984S9KW8vOuQlGKDnqyQJhPFOy_pPo3IEfSOYgrl82TcyuhyphenhypheneH8F6lK46BYnFCYiikadvpbDkxylscEyB0ZSL3t8z0/s1600/Tunic+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqAXiRT91KF2xzuOMYZ7t53U3DLTHMPm2_-OHin8J6qeBl7yEAG984S9KW8vOuQlGKDnqyQJhPFOy_pPo3IEfSOYgrl82TcyuhyphenhypheneH8F6lK46BYnFCYiikadvpbDkxylscEyB0ZSL3t8z0/s320/Tunic+2.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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Linen Tunic:</div>
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Materials:</div>
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11 skeins (1198 yds) Lindy Chain in colorway Linen.</div>
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US 3 double point needles or 16" connected needles</div>
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US 5 connected needles.</div>
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Guage:</div>
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27 sts by 33 rows equals 4” in St st.</div>
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Size:</div>
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Would fit 38-42” bust. Pictured on 40” bust with 2” positive ease.</div>
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Instructions:</div>
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Neck:</div>
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On size 3 needles CO 130 sts, join in round, work k1p1 ribbing until neckband measures 1” Switch to size 5 needles.</div>
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place marker for beginning of round and at 65<sup>th</sup> st.</div>
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Shape back of neckline:</div>
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K60 sts w&t, p55 sts w&t, k52 sts w&t, p49 w&t, k46 w&t, p43 w&t</div>
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knit 2 rnds, picking up wrapped stitches and knitting them as you go</div>
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Begin shoulder shaping:</div>
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Round 1: Place BOR marker k5 m1 pm k1 m1 k53 m1 k1 pm m1 k10 m1 pm k1 m1 k53 m1 k1 pm m1 k5</div>
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Round 2: k</div>
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Round 3: k to marker m1 sm k1 m1 knit to 1 stitch before marker m1 k1 sm m1 knit to marker m1 sm k1 m1 knit to 1 stitch before marker m1 k1 sm m1 knit to BOG marker</div>
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Repeat rounds 2 and three until there are 120 stitches each for front and back and 74 sts between sleeve markers</div>
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Place sleeve on holder, CO 5, pm (new BOR marker), CO 5, knit to next marker, place sleeve markers on stitch holder, CO 5, pm, CO 5 knit to end of round</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4FgXVEPjeVhyM-eAeZsuUEMIqG8VvoNWD-vrqjnyF7oh7Yw1C-JxdwBEhjSQ_3EFBLAvc9KsAiiJobySCQggDUCGjp-xHT36EvzwwFovB6lVGByLQsisMxU1sooFr6z6gHO1mEEk0tLk/s1600/Tunic+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4FgXVEPjeVhyM-eAeZsuUEMIqG8VvoNWD-vrqjnyF7oh7Yw1C-JxdwBEhjSQ_3EFBLAvc9KsAiiJobySCQggDUCGjp-xHT36EvzwwFovB6lVGByLQsisMxU1sooFr6z6gHO1mEEk0tLk/s320/Tunic+5.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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Body:</div>
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Rnds 1-10: Knit</div>
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Rnd 11: knit to 1 stitch before pm, m1, k1, sm, k1, m1, knit to 1 stitch before pm, m1,k1, sm, k1, m1</div>
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Repeat rounds 1-11 until 1” shy of desired length is reached. (pictured length is 29" so knit 28" from neckline)</div>
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Switch to k1p1 ribbing for 1”</div>
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BO in pattern</div>
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(note: the goal for me was using up all my yarn, so after knitting a couple of body rounds I paused and finished the sleeves, that way I could just knit the body until there was no yarn left.)</div>
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Sleeves:</div>
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Pick up ten stitches from underside of arm</div>
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K 18 rounds</div>
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knit k1p1 rib for 9 round</div>
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BO</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeArLc-NF6XdI6IrPSjJj0mRS979bUgn0V3NlmC8hU9CJZ8mvukg3lKCgg8XFLyfAs1I1dCYuVsn2qD1sPzrvda3d18DfzAEddaQj-MiG4rG-NreHn_bJeAXrV74x_DLxGVkvhAgOV7NY/s1600/IMG_4750.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeArLc-NF6XdI6IrPSjJj0mRS979bUgn0V3NlmC8hU9CJZ8mvukg3lKCgg8XFLyfAs1I1dCYuVsn2qD1sPzrvda3d18DfzAEddaQj-MiG4rG-NreHn_bJeAXrV74x_DLxGVkvhAgOV7NY/s320/IMG_4750.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I am not great at drawing, but here is a rough sketch to show the finished shape and measurements of the tunic.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWkwq75ZStXKCoLgoMuJLC-nPgH3WQyxX52UuqilTNRPj8dDP6TvlGUWftLMwhPwSdS90daZBscs-7XuivLPKL9gBt8ZY3qrNgK-QWRrV6c7LRnUG1ObePKvKrH5yHVHP52TpA2mLGN5Y/s1600/Tunic+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWkwq75ZStXKCoLgoMuJLC-nPgH3WQyxX52UuqilTNRPj8dDP6TvlGUWftLMwhPwSdS90daZBscs-7XuivLPKL9gBt8ZY3qrNgK-QWRrV6c7LRnUG1ObePKvKrH5yHVHP52TpA2mLGN5Y/s320/Tunic+1.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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I am very pleased with this tunic, and I hope that you like it to, if you have any questions please don't hesitate to leave a comment. This is my first time writing a knit pattern and just because it makes sense to me doesn't mean it's as intuitive to everyone else. </div>
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Shout out to my friend Hilary from <a href="http://thecutielife.com/" target="_blank">The Cutie Life</a> for helping me take pictures. Thank you! </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11456356955392295091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705906959119646398.post-88599866805747730372016-09-28T17:10:00.000-07:002016-09-28T17:10:05.123-07:00Wedding Quilt and BedskirtI have a personal rule for internet equanimity: don't read the comments. If I want to continue happily about my day I do not want to know what the random strangers on the internet think, it's why I rarely solicit comments on my blog (even though I know inviting discussion helps grow readership), because in my experience, usually, random strangers are cruel. A wonderful exception to that rule is <a href="http://ravelry.com/">ravelry.com</a> where I participate in the Sew Obsessed forum. That is a wonderful group of people who always make me feel so good about my projects.<br />
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My most recently compleated project is a queen size quilt. I'm not really much of a quilter and I was feeling a little self-conscious about some of the mistakes on my quilt, so I wasn't sure I wanted to post it, but I did. I prefaced it by saying is was only mediocre and I've received nothing but positivity and support about it. People said things like I must use a different definition of mediocre then them and that there never was a quilt made with perfectly straight lines. Thanks to the support of random internet strangers I am feeling much happier with my finished object so I wanted to share it with you also. I wish the rest of the internet was as pleasant as that group.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf2cURVMNnU5VY_PknStn4JdVYodP8jpe3HUT-5vQX0ubhWHtH4e4NsqhAh1TJqj1FLA-DDqcICcdStAJXP1ly-uzrcjKy0sF4uzEWP8Z7OvaybbxgKhhYFGe2oYeKNjAhAQ6wmaoAaJQ/s1600/IMG_4731.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf2cURVMNnU5VY_PknStn4JdVYodP8jpe3HUT-5vQX0ubhWHtH4e4NsqhAh1TJqj1FLA-DDqcICcdStAJXP1ly-uzrcjKy0sF4uzEWP8Z7OvaybbxgKhhYFGe2oYeKNjAhAQ6wmaoAaJQ/s320/IMG_4731.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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When I got married my goal was to make as much that was reusable as possible and to spend as little money as I could get away with (I'm pleased with my success on both counts). One of the ways I did that was making bunting to hang from the ceiling of my venue. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj91DXoaFXYCS5HovLWO8posscfLm5tdjFI9IdOkGp9domDJj8RQSEL3bOz-8BVknJT2o4zLaxcBsqKYVTN-Z4dtnEyRSk31SOI-LlNwFkT-7zZ790OJBeARMOWgq6g1R28IoQYbW_8utg/s1600/IMG_3044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj91DXoaFXYCS5HovLWO8posscfLm5tdjFI9IdOkGp9domDJj8RQSEL3bOz-8BVknJT2o4zLaxcBsqKYVTN-Z4dtnEyRSk31SOI-LlNwFkT-7zZ790OJBeARMOWgq6g1R28IoQYbW_8utg/s320/IMG_3044.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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All of the fabric used in that bunting came from my grandmother, my mom, my mother-in-law or my own stash of fabric. That alone gives me a glowy, happy, peaceful feeling. I thought the bunting was a sweet touch and a nice way to bring in some color and it didn't take too long to make, all things considered. And when I was done with it all that fabric became the triangles in my quilt. Now being wrapped in that quilt is like getting a warm hug from all the crafty women in my family.</div>
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Like I said, I'm not really much of a quilter. I've never attempted anything that big before, but I pieced the top together, sandwiched batting between it and a giant piece of white cotton, slapped the walking foot on my machine and I stitched about 1/4" away from each seam on the triangles in nice long diagonal lines. </div>
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I really like the pattern that the quilting made on the backing too. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi_yMY-yVTjKkYbS4NAsd0ryGiQaMpwzYGnHUQuNo3vpJ9AAPVK3u8goBFZeuGSJSwQuXcXeeOrz8u1glLcqo_gtOL_CApM3IDCBJ722LDVqUE9IMwS3lw1GfZze-7wC7cfTIK12hZtd4/s1600/Pennant+Quilt+10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi_yMY-yVTjKkYbS4NAsd0ryGiQaMpwzYGnHUQuNo3vpJ9AAPVK3u8goBFZeuGSJSwQuXcXeeOrz8u1glLcqo_gtOL_CApM3IDCBJ722LDVqUE9IMwS3lw1GfZze-7wC7cfTIK12hZtd4/s320/Pennant+Quilt+10.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I know white on white is hard to see, but it makes a cute little Star of David. </div>
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I used a bright white 100% cotton batting. I like cotton for batting because it's still thin, but it has more weight to it than poly or blends. I like a quilt to be a bit heavy, but not too stiff. I stuck to minimal quilting partly because it was less intimidating and partly because the less you quilt it the less stiff the finished quilt it. This particular batting only had to be quilted every 10" so my 6.5" triangles fit the bill just fine. </div>
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The other fabric you may have noticed in the shot of my venue was the burlap runners on all the tables. </div>
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I was going to just use burlap table clothes, but Husband was convinced that it would be scratchy. I kept saying no one was going to be rolling naked on the tables, but he was adamant. Fortunatly, my mother-in-law had white table cloths so I bought 20 yds of burlap and cut it in half and hemmed it to make table runners instead. At the time I was grumbling about the extra work but now I'm happy about it because the tables looked cute and the runners were easy to reuse. I turned them into a bed skirt.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjMutvUcUl5mvmqxPhduGAGLUxHMJarxFZxxEvocTHG30CRzpAuIJsd2xb3U_Cz5RRz87y5D7SPCdoViHPUxegxi9UGjMw8aWUD1W6O4bjR7c1CuQsG1RyrbPac7se80rCxzVWYkIVd20/s1600/IMG_4733.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjMutvUcUl5mvmqxPhduGAGLUxHMJarxFZxxEvocTHG30CRzpAuIJsd2xb3U_Cz5RRz87y5D7SPCdoViHPUxegxi9UGjMw8aWUD1W6O4bjR7c1CuQsG1RyrbPac7se80rCxzVWYkIVd20/s320/IMG_4733.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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The finished length of my table runners was 2.5 yds and I used 8 of them (so 20 yds of fabric, but the yardage is cut in half, you would need to buy 10 yds of burlap to replicate this). I sewed them to the remains of an old fitted sheet I got from my mom. I didn't want the pleats to look too even and mechanical so I just did them randomly by hand as I was feeding the fabric through the machine. Since I had already hemmed the fabric it only took about 2 hours to finish this project. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoLYthSYz_rj679AOgfaRkjHJNcahD_vMBtI6B7LZpmyJl4Ta3iU6om3sdE244BRpLk0EhwLFJljUEjohFqTOt95p3bvMeEQcznXgGXfLG8WP-S34lt1XmeM_H_o4iPdyywYNFlmXkYfc/s1600/IMG_4737.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoLYthSYz_rj679AOgfaRkjHJNcahD_vMBtI6B7LZpmyJl4Ta3iU6om3sdE244BRpLk0EhwLFJljUEjohFqTOt95p3bvMeEQcznXgGXfLG8WP-S34lt1XmeM_H_o4iPdyywYNFlmXkYfc/s320/IMG_4737.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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And I think it looks great with the quilt. Now the bed just needs like 6 or 8 more pillows (I love pillows, Husband thinks they are stupid, but I think he is going to lose this battle) and a headboard and it will be perfect! When Husband and I first started dating more than 6 years ago I made him buy a mattress but I bought the sheets and comforter. We've had the same one since then and I am totally sick of it now. I'm really glad that I was able to repurpose wedding items into a nice update for our bedroom decor. The comforter is still under there, the quilt isn't warm enough for winter all on its own, but at least I don't have to look at it anymore and I've still got some burlap left, so I might make it into pillows, or curtains, or something, I'm not sure yet, but for the moment I am pleased. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11456356955392295091noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705906959119646398.post-82307249664905738752016-09-04T09:11:00.001-07:002016-09-04T09:11:50.840-07:00LeggingsI was really slow to embrace leggings as acceptable public articles of clothing. I still don't think they can be worn as a substitute for pants, but I am now willing to leave the house in a tunic and leggings. I've been told by friends that what I think of as tunic length the rest of them just call a short dress. Ah well, the beauty of making my own clothes is that I can always make sure my dresses and tunics are lengths that I am comfortable in.<br />
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Anyway, as part of my new willingness to wear leggings, I decided to make a pair. I found some absolutely beautiful rusty red knit fabric at JoAnn's the other day. I don't think any of my pictures do justice to the color. It is a nice thick rayon/poly blend with 1% spandex and about 30% 2-way stretch. I decided to make one pair of long leggings and if I liked the way the fabric wore for the day I might go back and get more.<br />
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I'm going to need to go get more in other colors.<br />
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I finished the leggings yesterday and I wore them all day and even slept in them to see if they would end up baggy the way some knits do. There were no problems. I woke up this morning with them looking as fresh as they did when I first slipped them on.<br />
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I think I am going to make this pattern again, but I am going to make some changes. When I first sewed them together I thought the rise through the crotch looked ridiculously long. It's meant to sit 1.5" below the natural waist. After wearing them for a day I've decided that I would actually like it to be higher, like at my natural waist. They fit alright standing, but I think they were designed for someone with a little less booty because when I sit down they slip too low. Not a problem with a long tunic, but not what I want them to do either. They also stretch oddly around my tummy. Not in a I-made-a-size-too-small way, but just in a they-are-not-the-same-shape-as-me way. Before I put the elastic in the casing it gapped a little in the back, so I think they pattern was designed with more of a teenager's body in mind, you know, very very straight, no tummy, hips, or booty yet. I think I need just a little more room in the front. </div>
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But again, with a long tunic on, this pair will totally do the trick. And speaking of neat tricks, I played with the stretch stitch on my machine for the first time while making these. </div>
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Stretch stitch is a cool stitch that stitched and finishes a seam in one pass. It also makes a strong seam with enough stretch that you can use it on knits without popping a stitch. In the past, I've just zigzagged seams on knits and that also does the trick, but the stretch stitch looks neater and more professional. I learned how to do it by checking my machine's manual. I've actually learned a fair number of neat stitches that way.</div>
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I also finally got a twin needle hem that I am happy with on these leggings. Not a super straight hem, mind you, but at least the tension is okay.</div>
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I love how professional the twin needle looks because it looks the same as ready to wear, but you also have to hem from the right side because the wrong side of a twin needle hem just looks like zig-zag stitch, so I think it's going to take some practice for me to keep fabrics from slipping while sewing on the right side of the garment. </div>
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Oh, I nearly forgot. The pattern is from New Look. I don't remember the pattern number but the legging pattern was available in a couple different pattern envelopes paired with knit tunics. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11456356955392295091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705906959119646398.post-81290677674418838032016-09-01T20:30:00.000-07:002016-09-01T20:30:00.256-07:00Works in Progress (WIPs)Are y'all familiar with the term multicraftual? It's like being multilingual, instead of just speaking one language (knitting) you speak multiple languages (knitting, sewing, quilting, spinning, tatting). Some people see it as a sign of being unwilling to commit/having a short attention span. Others see it as natural branching out of interrelated talents. Guess which school of thought I belong too.<div>
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And speaking of opposing schools of thought there are also those who say that you should have only one project at a time, while others believe that variety is the spice of life.</div>
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Normally I have three or four knitting projects, a quilt, several sewing and tatting projects and a cross-stitch all competing for my attention. This blog probably makes it appear that I spend most of my time sewing because most of my posts are about sewing, but hour for hour, I am a knitter first and foremost. Of course, hour for hour, it just takes longer to knit something then it does to sew. </div>
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Today I was thinking about Works in Progress (called WIPs if you are on <a href="http://ravelry.com/" target="_blank">Ravelry</a>) because since the wedding I have felt like I have nothing going on project wise. Seriously, my sewing table is actually clean of projects right now, it's sort of freaking me out. Husband and I got engaged one year ago today and since then it's been a whirlwind of wedding related DIY craft projects. The post-wedding project void feels very really y'all. But contrary to the way that I feel I actually have a lot going on at the moment. It's just less stressful because there is no "due date" so to speak.</div>
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Right now I have a quilt top pieced together and half quilted. This picture is the unquilted top laying on my bed to show the size.</div>
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I've also got a bolt of burlap, hemmed and waiting to become a bed skirt. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRWk8EDU2zr2lDUWN8sC_doFGvp0RFMxNPDuMadbhxztIQIQZ1cB4-n34BDwa2L4aKR2ZTOUfZTp6aurYMayW_N9WEwpSgkQAcWXmckWnAVePl2000pcK6GX_Wp9G_G6BG4TfHdjBZvxc/s1600/Tablerunner4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRWk8EDU2zr2lDUWN8sC_doFGvp0RFMxNPDuMadbhxztIQIQZ1cB4-n34BDwa2L4aKR2ZTOUfZTp6aurYMayW_N9WEwpSgkQAcWXmckWnAVePl2000pcK6GX_Wp9G_G6BG4TfHdjBZvxc/s320/Tablerunner4.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I have a pair of leggings that just need to be hemmed, and I have four t-shirts, four camisoles, and five pairs of panties cut out and waiting to be sewed together. I don't have pictures yet, but I will probably bust them out this weekend and then post pics on Instagram. </div>
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Knitting wise I've got a pair of socks I just started two days ago. Also, I love how well the yarn coordinated with my pajamas.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRRUI6IC0v8JURbyNyI2pcJhkvV4H4yumBM1Sopd-keT-QariaOljrY7KrUkK0OWahCQXi0618VSYAe2tSKuZg5addolndbJg_G0-Zd6c5tKafYS2aY0C64-gda-cw5_32NxMuXqu3Vfg/s1600/IMG_3196.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRRUI6IC0v8JURbyNyI2pcJhkvV4H4yumBM1Sopd-keT-QariaOljrY7KrUkK0OWahCQXi0618VSYAe2tSKuZg5addolndbJg_G0-Zd6c5tKafYS2aY0C64-gda-cw5_32NxMuXqu3Vfg/s320/IMG_3196.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I have a perpetual sock yarn scrap miter square blanket going on.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhPg4ULCXtvCF6f2z_P1CvjG-tno4-eoz4jK1xv5508ea8KOnLHJjLtJMHiLYOUgu5dt7VkgtMED9frAdHTT7eCYpQRrkFdGWxS-cQcARf_fWlB5GrX0pc53ZuwAxfAhRYXFRaoWq7B00/s1600/Scrap+Blanket+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhPg4ULCXtvCF6f2z_P1CvjG-tno4-eoz4jK1xv5508ea8KOnLHJjLtJMHiLYOUgu5dt7VkgtMED9frAdHTT7eCYpQRrkFdGWxS-cQcARf_fWlB5GrX0pc53ZuwAxfAhRYXFRaoWq7B00/s320/Scrap+Blanket+5.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I have the scarf of insanity that I will honestly maybe never finish, but I enjoy working on it sporadically anyway.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZJDjk2LYYBRJMsCHwq8H3Hboso_UADQrZuKyd44_wLnzyN_bXKgqPivHTYhZAIOQs8KmGDJDniZlbSo1eHmtK3-uBIaYxdSyzPqTCjnSJxwGevd0O6UuvB0hT2H-D7QdYFGR5iAizPPQ/s1600/IMG_3199.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZJDjk2LYYBRJMsCHwq8H3Hboso_UADQrZuKyd44_wLnzyN_bXKgqPivHTYhZAIOQs8KmGDJDniZlbSo1eHmtK3-uBIaYxdSyzPqTCjnSJxwGevd0O6UuvB0hT2H-D7QdYFGR5iAizPPQ/s320/IMG_3199.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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There is also a secret Christmas project on the needles. And there are always washcloths to knit because it is impossible to have two many washcloths.</div>
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Non-sewing and knitting projects I have half a skein of alpaca/silk noil yarn spun, and 3/4 of a handkerchief edge tatted.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPqkKYjPyMcE9nG4-Fiq4wYo-HQdZ0zkHPLYAUivpXM8G2s0mp657BM9TiqRPVMBXXlDTCeri-jOjx7G2IbPcTHPmtOSjm5GwZ34kDmddxdLqyFsANu9Axv2X4hlg_JaOKs2YuaFjLO5U/s1600/IMG_3197.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPqkKYjPyMcE9nG4-Fiq4wYo-HQdZ0zkHPLYAUivpXM8G2s0mp657BM9TiqRPVMBXXlDTCeri-jOjx7G2IbPcTHPmtOSjm5GwZ34kDmddxdLqyFsANu9Axv2X4hlg_JaOKs2YuaFjLO5U/s320/IMG_3197.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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And I've got a large cross-stitch image that I've been working on for years and probably will continue to work on for years to come.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Tn4yUojUkFVjgKoYvtj2G7f6CPfN-K-M5IC5KeOM5tserIBFLov-M1wwJigItVl7fOsE8a085Peg0OzKnuVmZgNZrMAIiWxGPI1y8imghqPirS7nZ2ntXHPtbRgpXbYwmTHOUQcPlNQ/s1600/IMG_3201.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Tn4yUojUkFVjgKoYvtj2G7f6CPfN-K-M5IC5KeOM5tserIBFLov-M1wwJigItVl7fOsE8a085Peg0OzKnuVmZgNZrMAIiWxGPI1y8imghqPirS7nZ2ntXHPtbRgpXbYwmTHOUQcPlNQ/s320/IMG_3201.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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So really, I have plenty going on. Maybe I've even got a touch of project ADD, but I prefer to think of myself as more of a Renaissance Man. I don't want to specialize, I want to know a bit about everything. Husband is afraid that it's a way to never really master anything and I am not saying that he is wrong, but I do think I would feel limited if I had stuck to only knitting. What do you think? Do you prefer to have only one project at a time, or do you want to be able to switch what you are working on whenever you get bored?</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11456356955392295091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705906959119646398.post-71538583715703083562016-08-28T14:35:00.000-07:002016-08-28T14:35:08.073-07:00Princess Seam Blouse AgainAbout a year ago <a href="http://catescraft.blogspot.com/2015/08/done-with-mccalls-6035.html" target="_blank">I made</a> McCall's 6035 button-up blouse with princess seams in five different colors and by the time I finished the last one I was way super sick of the pattern. Well, apparently it takes me a year to get over that because I just finished a new blouse. <div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpW9gEGfemWSgehKhKmzr0XTQvbUSwtH4jR8YqbCM0-9PmIg5IexIOeTPnfUoDEY9f4fobIrTfJkwdp1FFzXD-V3lpR49BUILSrrPU9fqzKKZcxX8d5XS2v15W3MME83Xv2NeiRndiKK8/s1600/IMG_3170.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpW9gEGfemWSgehKhKmzr0XTQvbUSwtH4jR8YqbCM0-9PmIg5IexIOeTPnfUoDEY9f4fobIrTfJkwdp1FFzXD-V3lpR49BUILSrrPU9fqzKKZcxX8d5XS2v15W3MME83Xv2NeiRndiKK8/s320/IMG_3170.JPG" width="293" /></a></div>
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This one is made from the cotton lawn left over from lining my wedding dress. It is rather transparent so tank-tops underneath are an absolute must. So was fully finishing the seams because you can see them through the shirt. At first, that annoyed me, but I've successfully convinced myself that it's just a design feature. I do wish that I had realized how visible they were going to be. I don't think I like how lumpy the clean seams look on the princess seams. I don't know how hard it would be to do a flat fell seam on a princess seam, but I really want to try it now because I can't think of anything else that has a hope of laying prettily and working as a design element. I did french seams on the sides and flat fell seams on the shoulder and arms. The collar and cuffs are both slip-stitched from the inside. </div>
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I did lengthen the shirt by two inches this time around. I have found the when I am working I'm constantly tugging on the bottom of my shirt because they feel a little short. This shirt is a bit too nice to wear to work but I might make a couple more at this length because it does fit better and the whole point of making my own clothes is to have clothes that fit like they were made for me.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSySCvrvAv2YPVgF851SGZCLlhCb2qTGAHlNXMNWZZtivgDw9AYVWHDFdzpruVrJV77zDc9y7aBTVz5DqkNFWrIjV29n9qfqvXo7NOi_xxY4UOyRCPsHEa08zBgOKDX08NLcbQVaNEFs0/s1600/IMG_3173.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSySCvrvAv2YPVgF851SGZCLlhCb2qTGAHlNXMNWZZtivgDw9AYVWHDFdzpruVrJV77zDc9y7aBTVz5DqkNFWrIjV29n9qfqvXo7NOi_xxY4UOyRCPsHEa08zBgOKDX08NLcbQVaNEFs0/s320/IMG_3173.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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One of the reasons that I keep coming back to this pattern is that it has multiple bust sizes. I really like that I can easily achieve a tailored fit without having to do a full bust alteration. It just makes life so much easier. </div>
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I'm not sure that I'm ready to whip out another five of them, but I would like to make one more in a purple lawn because I want to try the different seam finish on the princess seams and because I found some beautiful purple buttons when I was looking for buttons for this shirt. I was inches away from sewing them onto this one but that would have limited what I could wear it with and the point of a white button-up blouse is that you can wear it with just about anything on almost any occassion. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11456356955392295091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705906959119646398.post-52624061750707004732016-08-25T08:20:00.002-07:002016-08-25T08:20:56.907-07:00Rose Print KnitI don't usually wear a lot of tank tops, but it's been so hot recently that the idea of sleeves is just terrible. I know, the rest of the country is like, "shut up, it's 85 degrees" but for Washington that is killer hot. I like it here because it stays between 40 and 70 for 90% of the year. So after I made the two Sorbetto tanks I pulled<a href="https://mccallpattern.mccall.com/m6794" target="_blank"> McCall's M6794</a> and a rather precious rose print knit out of my closet.<br />
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The rose print is really sweet, and although I like it, it's not something I would have bought on my own, but I got it out of my grandmother's stash (which also means I have no idea what the fiber content is, but I'm guessing it's got some polyester in it). I was going to use it to make a ruched t-shirt, but I couldn't find the pattern, I don't actually remember if I really bought it, or just meant to buy it, so I made a tunic length tank top instead. I barely had enough fabric, like not even an inch to spare.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLsqtG8X3YQQZmOUCSa4-kSRkGHWSmpcv9EJjgDpXcNJk8ELJBmpzjupnGo22LVVprIqmBbFeVwoeZ34Z5KQM27xh5I2sLMqIiJwb6HWWNBVDhVR-i0jGiu7kiM1QbuMqEhZd0KsZCb9w/s1600/Rose+Knit+M6794b.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLsqtG8X3YQQZmOUCSa4-kSRkGHWSmpcv9EJjgDpXcNJk8ELJBmpzjupnGo22LVVprIqmBbFeVwoeZ34Z5KQM27xh5I2sLMqIiJwb6HWWNBVDhVR-i0jGiu7kiM1QbuMqEhZd0KsZCb9w/s320/Rose+Knit+M6794b.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The fabric is a little bit on the see-through side. I originally put it on with denim capris and hated the fact that you could see the contrast between the dark denim and my skin through the top so I threw on a pair of white leggings instead (<a href="https://mccallpattern.mccall.com/m6360" target="_blank">M6360</a> view c that I made a couple of years ago). I feel very all white in this outfit, I think what it really needs is a pale green pair of leggings, but white was what I had, so it was what I wore. I've only very recently embraced the leggings trend, but now I'm thinking I need to make more in more colors. But I will still only wear them if my rear is covered. I've been told by girlfriends that what I call a tunic the rest of them call a dress. </div>
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A couple of notes on the tunic pattern: The pattern envelope says you can make it in a woven or a knit. Obviously, I chose a knit. The patterns works but the instructions and more importantly the grainline markings all assume that you are using a woven. If you make this pattern with a knit think very carefully about the direction of stretch when you are laying out your pattern pieces. The neck and sleeves are meant to have a double-fold bias facing, I changed that to single fold, but I still feel like it's too bulky, I wish, considering that knits don't unravel, that I had just folded it over once and sewed it down. </div>
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I also played with a twin-needle to do the hems on this. On the one hand, it does look more professionally finished then zig-zagging or leaving them raw, but on the other hand, I had a really hard time adjusting the tension on the machine to make it work. I had to set the tension at the loosest that it would go and I'm still seeing a little bit of distortion because the stitches are too tight and I really don't like that.</div>
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All in all, I don't think this is going to become one of my favorite tops, but it was cool and comfy on our recent 90 degree day, and since I can't wear it to work anyway it doesn't matter if it's my favorite.</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11456356955392295091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705906959119646398.post-45764859698328191652016-08-21T18:08:00.000-07:002016-08-21T18:08:43.703-07:00Sorbetto TopWhelp, I jumped on the <a href="https://www.colettepatterns.com/catalog/sorbetto" target="_blank">Sobetto</a> bandwagon. It seems like every sewer has to make at least one of them (I'm sure that is totally not true at all, but it is a pretty common pattern and I've been seeing a lot of it this summer). If you don't know, the Sorbetto Top is a delightfully versatile tank top and Colette Patterns is kind enough to offer it as a free download.<br />
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I had never actually tried printing out and sewing a multipage pattern before. It took me several tries to get it to print the right size. On my particular printer I had to use the zoom function and print at 106% size to get the test square to be the requiste 4"x4" and it took me 6 tries to figure that out. Once I got over that hurdle though the pattern was easy to tape together.<br />
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I ended up making two tops in one weekend. After making the wedding vests I had between 3/4 and a yard of mid-weight linen leftover. The pattern calls for both the front and back pieces to be cut on the fold, which would not have fit on what I had left, so instead I added 5/8" to the back and just put a seam down the middle. On the first top I did a mock-french seam because I forgot that I meant to do french seams, but on the second I remembered and did a proper french seam. Linen unravels like crazy so you need a good strong finished seam. Because I have a slight obsession with french seams that is what I used for everything.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXOFN1ZgsABGaA05OKsGmUoaXw6MCGGRwyWh_CBRiGwwW3jE4yiHP8JH4xWH2Mddi4VB8hnPwwDtLHw810PLoQyyFEeh8XbjG9JdKOdjLnslToOhjT2GeDwKonAP9h96uvlpLbH112a3o/s1600/Sorbetto+Top+2.3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXOFN1ZgsABGaA05OKsGmUoaXw6MCGGRwyWh_CBRiGwwW3jE4yiHP8JH4xWH2Mddi4VB8hnPwwDtLHw810PLoQyyFEeh8XbjG9JdKOdjLnslToOhjT2GeDwKonAP9h96uvlpLbH112a3o/s320/Sorbetto+Top+2.3.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Aren't they just so pretty though! That is one of the shoulder seams of the second top that I made. It pleases me to look at, all nice and finished with no unsightly raw edges anywhere. </div>
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Here is a picture of the first Sorbetto Top that I whipped up. For this one, other than adding the back seam, I followed the directions. The blue bias trim is a single fold bias tape, applied the same way you would do a bias facing, but flipped to the front instead of the back to make a cute little detail. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg84fcgzt2sT7dzyWauuWmqd2N_GNLwMlRJOZSWkr0oXIoVVKXSnk9EysWwnpjHDl5_diSME2wlWPavaElHhlxteoKYUdm98FoGQzVPIzmUjoeOD1iGz666SXFw-R7SPkoYt95ZBMF3Gv0/s1600/Sorbetto+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg84fcgzt2sT7dzyWauuWmqd2N_GNLwMlRJOZSWkr0oXIoVVKXSnk9EysWwnpjHDl5_diSME2wlWPavaElHhlxteoKYUdm98FoGQzVPIzmUjoeOD1iGz666SXFw-R7SPkoYt95ZBMF3Gv0/s320/Sorbetto+5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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And speaking of cute details, I also added three buttons. I had way too much fun doing decoritive stitching because they aren't functional buttons. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCtHy_GjtVmJQrmSh0Sxi4HZ1V_b-t8clfu6bjtcPUj996M4ooqYQzZn1IfT0QoxsT1mj1cpNR6G2qni4vEEyx009VPyYt_gOGebYI1uLwCSBT6F1GaoLeAxq9woZQ7q9owXUhykPeUVw/s1600/Sorbetto+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCtHy_GjtVmJQrmSh0Sxi4HZ1V_b-t8clfu6bjtcPUj996M4ooqYQzZn1IfT0QoxsT1mj1cpNR6G2qni4vEEyx009VPyYt_gOGebYI1uLwCSBT6F1GaoLeAxq9woZQ7q9owXUhykPeUVw/s320/Sorbetto+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The only fit issue I encountered was the arm holes came down too low and part of my bra was visible through them. To counteract that I shortened the sleeves at the shoulder seam. I think I shortened them a bit too much because Husband says it looks like the arms are pinching, but I find the top very comfortable. Unfortunately, because I shortened the top through the shoulders the whole thing is a bit shorter than I would have preferred. </div>
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So on the second top I made a few changes. I added about half an inch of fabric to the underside of the sleeve in order to insure that my bra was covered. I also added four inches to the bottom to get a more tunic length top.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Hnv5gIZdCL1gna8hxL9iIUyn0mbwqF_NyD49_9LoKToKShara8evztog7JIQPX2oNMf3UbjwM8TnVoHF623uJ8yJ4twW93FXkNFgNxL9RYWewUwNbRYQo6bz6bYclcxgnPrMnaufhOw/s1600/Sorbett+Top+2.1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Hnv5gIZdCL1gna8hxL9iIUyn0mbwqF_NyD49_9LoKToKShara8evztog7JIQPX2oNMf3UbjwM8TnVoHF623uJ8yJ4twW93FXkNFgNxL9RYWewUwNbRYQo6bz6bYclcxgnPrMnaufhOw/s320/Sorbett+Top+2.1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I also inverted the front pleat and left it loose at the bottom. It maybe looks a bit maternity top-ish (Husband says "it is rather ambigious through the torso") but it is also super cool and comfortable and it's been hotter than heck the last week, so I will take looking like I may or may not be pregnant if I can also be a comfortable temprature.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHrKKzboXg43meWxBx68-4UevktRARtXO6j6EevHTdsQZSNMgJee09Zm1DAfhNWDEOGHEBSH7qU_3zgP8R2y7arz9qVt3mAgd-L_TiwMM2KvFIheaDN0TqHRoyEpiPV6NHEC-Dh3DMuUQ/s1600/Sorbetto+Top+2.2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHrKKzboXg43meWxBx68-4UevktRARtXO6j6EevHTdsQZSNMgJee09Zm1DAfhNWDEOGHEBSH7qU_3zgP8R2y7arz9qVt3mAgd-L_TiwMM2KvFIheaDN0TqHRoyEpiPV6NHEC-Dh3DMuUQ/s320/Sorbetto+Top+2.2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The only other change that I made was using double fold bias tape instead of single fold. I would like to say I had a design reason for doing that, but really, I just grabbed the wrong package at the store. I'm glad that I did though, in the end I like the double fold bias tape better, not enough to change the first one, but enough that if I make this top again I will probably stick with double fold bias tape for the edges. </div>
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And I do think I'm going to make it again. It's a pretty versitle pattern, especially for free. I kind of want to lengthen it an additional four to six inches with the inverted pleat and use it to make night gowns because it is just that comfortable a top. I'm also dreaming of versions with sleeves, but that will never help me get rid of that aweful farmer's tan.</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11456356955392295091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705906959119646398.post-73194115477280535812016-08-17T20:14:00.001-07:002016-08-17T20:14:55.749-07:00Gathered SkirtToday I thought I would do something a little different and finally move on from wedding related projects. I only have a couple more to talk about, and frankly, they can both wait. Instead, I thought I would talk about a skirt I finished recently.<br />
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I had some leftover poly-rayon "linen like" fabric from Jo-Ann's. It is nowhere near as nice as real linen, but it's also half the cost and doesn't have to be shipped to me. The color is much closer to Robin's egg in real life. I wanted to play with my ruffler foot and thought this rectangle would be perfect.</div>
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So first I cut out a waistband, then I cut the remaining fabric in half and sewed the two rectangles together using a french seam. Because of that, the skirt is a tad shorter than I would normally wear, but I wasn't sure how much fabric I would need and I didn't want to run out.</div>
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Next, I ran my length of fabric through my gathering foot. I set it to pleat the fabric every 6 stitches. I think I would have preferred more gather, but again, I wasn't sure how much fabric the gathers would actually eat up. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5jv9-XyxfoIP567DbFMRTbWBZsYvyXBYyojstCgKp7_HE98rCaJHzFB1iWKYJp9M3c3OuNNfLz2v99C0b5YVGFRM4AaYS0HVz1UihYEJDnpKz-z1YPINv59YNfpYdkcPZT4KjUgEXH5k/s1600/Gathered+Skirt+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5jv9-XyxfoIP567DbFMRTbWBZsYvyXBYyojstCgKp7_HE98rCaJHzFB1iWKYJp9M3c3OuNNfLz2v99C0b5YVGFRM4AaYS0HVz1UihYEJDnpKz-z1YPINv59YNfpYdkcPZT4KjUgEXH5k/s320/Gathered+Skirt+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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After I gathered all the fabric I attached the waistband. I did so by lining up the center of the waistband with the french seam on the skirt, that way I could attach the zipper to the other side and have both seams be centered. (The waistband started off three inches wide, I folded up half and inch on either side and interfaced the whole thing)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHSEVioyqy5En40ipqbJX4tgSU2EkLRgtILJby8fquoBq0QnvqK7vvckp3UsN__5gLeckc1WUD8vfJWHTBznySdQVSmGQhTn7LTZzU_wX9k_pYQ52_mabY8aKesjNvuccxzFy2QRdtIYA/s1600/Gathered+Skirt+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHSEVioyqy5En40ipqbJX4tgSU2EkLRgtILJby8fquoBq0QnvqK7vvckp3UsN__5gLeckc1WUD8vfJWHTBznySdQVSmGQhTn7LTZzU_wX9k_pYQ52_mabY8aKesjNvuccxzFy2QRdtIYA/s320/Gathered+Skirt+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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After I sewed the waistband to the right side of the fabric I cut off the remaining fabric at both ends and attached the zipper. I used a clean seam to finish the seam on the zipper side. </div>
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The skirt is cute enough and I had fun playing with the ruffler foot. The whole thing was a bit fast and dirty, for example, I machine finished the hem, although I still hand tacked the waistband to the wrong side to keep my stitches from showing on the right side.I also didn't measure a darn thing, which is why I'm not calling this a tutorial. But hey, the skirt only took about two hours to finish, I will wear it (actually I'm wearing it right now which is why I thought to write up a blog post about it) and now I want to play with the ruffler foot some more. If you have never used one, look them up on youtube. They are crazy looking feet.</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11456356955392295091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705906959119646398.post-74374087143927238572016-08-06T16:03:00.002-07:002016-10-09T10:03:15.381-07:00Socks for the HubbyForever and a day ago (which in this case means Dec 9th, 2015) I started a pair of socks for Husband. I meant to give them to him for Christmas, but alas, I did not come even close to finishing them on time. Husband does like the leg of his sock to be long, but I don't think his socks are really all that much bigger than my own, but somehow I can whip out a pair of socks for me in about a week, but it takes me months and months to make him a pair. I think it might be because he likes such boring patterns that I get sick of them and just don't take the time to work on them.<br />
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Well, I finally finished this pair of socks on July 8th, so instead of Christmas socks, they became wedding socks. It was pure coincidence that they went so well with his gray vest and gray shoes. He is a man of muted color preferences. It worked out nicely, though. I used a light fingering yarn, instead of fingering weight so they came out a bit thinner than typical hand-knit socks, more like dress socks than work socks so they fit his dress shoes.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3qaYIS7ieJWAuxoNmGJQqsRpDqyGDRCWtP4xkxLwBvfImVl5M59NeLmMvsxsmJHel-S8U4P3QOC23pTS2EOyatZGZiwSlfzUKLoVUAKZcrBdbB_beZoOtZ0ppt7iLfvp1HzXrGXxYyis/s1600/Wedding+Socks+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3qaYIS7ieJWAuxoNmGJQqsRpDqyGDRCWtP4xkxLwBvfImVl5M59NeLmMvsxsmJHel-S8U4P3QOC23pTS2EOyatZGZiwSlfzUKLoVUAKZcrBdbB_beZoOtZ0ppt7iLfvp1HzXrGXxYyis/s320/Wedding+Socks+3.JPG" width="256" /></a></div>
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They may have taken me forever to knit because I got bored, but I am pleased with the finished product. The original pattern is <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/thermal-weasleys" target="_blank">Thermal Weasley's</a> because I was going with a Harry Potter theme to socks for the year, and more importantly, I liked the broken rib stitch pattern, but I made some pretty extensive modifications to the pattern. I lengthened the leg by more than twice what the pattern asked for, and I changed the heel to a slip-stitch heel with a garter stitch edge, and I changed the decreases for the toe to make them more gradual. </div>
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Husband must have liked them also because he showed them off to his Grandmother and Aunt and Uncle. I always love it when he brags about what I make him, it makes me feel like I've done the job well. </div>
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Maybe I will start a new pair of socks for him now. With some luck I bet I could have them done by Christmas. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11456356955392295091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705906959119646398.post-82231071003053640322016-07-31T10:42:00.000-07:002016-07-31T10:42:03.442-07:00Linen VestsI was so caught up in trying to finish wedding projects that I didn't really post much about what I was actually doing. In addition to sewing my own dress, I also made vests for my husband and for our friend who officiated for us.<br />
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The vests are fully lined with bemburg rayon, the outer fabric is a mid-weight 100% linen from <a href="http://fabric-store.com/">fabric-store.com</a>. I've ordered from them a couple of times and their fabric is just delightful. Linen isn't particularly easy to work with because it likes to try and slip off grain and it unravels with amazing speed, but it's well worth the effort, I love the feel of linen. Husband's vest is just a bare shade lighter than our officiant. I think the colorways were Asphalt and Graphite.<br />
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Retrospectively I wish I had used a lighter fabric to line Husband's vest, but there really wasn't one available to me.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpjagCC7qxvWjmZUfD_2gpqrpjVoJeiB0rBPIc6VL4lc8adt58JiXeMUFvos9zeyU7iBbSbLsg2jsdz2SZ9Je0eLhmzRUjZsvHs2sDkPAFqbzWA7JyTYkE34UKpZ98zXJFNgdapaPwcW8/s1600/Wedding+Vest+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpjagCC7qxvWjmZUfD_2gpqrpjVoJeiB0rBPIc6VL4lc8adt58JiXeMUFvos9zeyU7iBbSbLsg2jsdz2SZ9Je0eLhmzRUjZsvHs2sDkPAFqbzWA7JyTYkE34UKpZ98zXJFNgdapaPwcW8/s320/Wedding+Vest+1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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And you can see how quickly linen wrinkles in these photos. I pressed everything while I was sewing then I threw them over a chair to wait until I had better lighting to take photos and in just those couple of hours they wrinkled. Husband also didn't like how the pockets were laying on his, so I sewed them shut, even though those welt pockets took longer to sew than all the rest of the vest. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjksp25bX6cvys1UvqbU1mXNwWtmXQk5vzcDp2JoYC0ftne5Jbx0DsvRXg78Kre3P5Z8kEy_W2_7GoCwgViUQQjBJmqoBHZFim4AQmQkIQojrnJ01g41A2Dm-nZTOjVwOyXjc2e_baLI38/s1600/Wedding+Vest+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjksp25bX6cvys1UvqbU1mXNwWtmXQk5vzcDp2JoYC0ftne5Jbx0DsvRXg78Kre3P5Z8kEy_W2_7GoCwgViUQQjBJmqoBHZFim4AQmQkIQojrnJ01g41A2Dm-nZTOjVwOyXjc2e_baLI38/s320/Wedding+Vest+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Don't the boys look handsome wearing their vests though? I was nervous beyond all belief making one for our friend. I think it's the first time I've sewed a garment for someone other than Husband or myself and Husband had a less than enthusiastic response to his the first time he saw it (because of the wrinkles) so I was terrified our friend wouldn't like his either.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLi6nFxMqS5IE_ArfqQ-AOc9HgJ5PmXfR49nWSE7dBLPuVQqkZ-ozAjVxlEVnCKGTKdnDMQbVhPozp9o0-YCM4EthJwAJz1yVgMYKwPTlnGVIVUTFxPk1tt8KECWerA8oOUdCosNwH98Q/s1600/D+Ceremony+24+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLi6nFxMqS5IE_ArfqQ-AOc9HgJ5PmXfR49nWSE7dBLPuVQqkZ-ozAjVxlEVnCKGTKdnDMQbVhPozp9o0-YCM4EthJwAJz1yVgMYKwPTlnGVIVUTFxPk1tt8KECWerA8oOUdCosNwH98Q/s320/D+Ceremony+24+%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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All in all, I am really happy with the finished result. I think it was just what they needed to look extra dapper without being too warm (which is also why they are in linen rather than wool or a poly blend). I just think suit jackets at a summer wedding would be torture.</div>
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So, expect a couple more wedding project posts while I get caught up, and then I promise we can move on and I'll go back to just whatever random pattern catches my fancy. </div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11456356955392295091noreply@blogger.com0