Basically a sweatshirt...but call it fashun

It seems like every spring I make a number of sewing mistakes, or have a string of outright fails.  Happily, today's makes are not fails, but they both emerged from mistakes.  (Incidentally, this outfit came together exactly how I saw it in my head, so I'm pretty pleased with that).

I found some beautiful sage-green cotton terry from Birch Organics and thought to make another Toaster, since my chili one is a nice spring piece, and we're having quite a few days lately where a wool sweater is not the thing. When the fabric arrived and I realized it was 70" wide (70! inches! wide!), I knew I could make a Toaster dress if I wanted to. I used the Coco dress as a guide for the bottom piece and blended the top and bottom together. I figured if it looked terrible, I could always cut it off at the waist and add the bottom band back in for my original plan.

After wearing the chili Toaster a handful of times, I thought it felt a bit too roomy--I think the Tencel content gives it more stretch than the wool-cotton blend on my first one, and I wanted to experiment with a slightly smaller fit without printing a new pattern size.  I sewed the seam allowances on the top portion at 1/2" (the pattern calls for 3/8") and graded out to 3/8" below the waist, then to 1/4" on the skirt portion.  

Well friends, the Toaster dress looked terrible. I don't know if it was the fabric, or the color, or the fit or what, but it was not happiness. The fit on the top was fine--just the right amount of ease and fit, but the skirt part looked off. So I didn't even hem the thing and just measured and cut to length, and then cut the bottom band out of the top of the skirt portion. For visual interest, I used the wrong side of the fabric on the collar, cuffs, and bottom band, which I like very much.

And the skirt.  My original plan was to make a black version of my quilted sage knit skirt, but the company sent the wrong fabric--a heavy black cotton sweater knit.  After I contacted them about the mix up, the owner offered me several options to fix it, and I decided to keep the sweater knit at a discount and see how it worked instead--variety is the spice of life and all that.  

I thought it would work well with the Elemental Skirt, and so set to it.  I shortened it to the length I was using in the summer, and also straightened some of the pegging near the knees to give myself a bigger walking stride.  It's still pegged, but not as severely.  I added 3/4" to the front and back of the skirt (essentially grading it up a size and a half instead of my usual 1/2" grade) because my Elemental skirts from last spring are slightly snug right now and I thought this fabric would be unforgiving.  I used a 27" Ban-Rol elastic, which is perfect right now.

My only complaint is that the fabric sheds a TON because of the machine knitting.  I finished the edges more than I usually do on a knit for that reason.  The waistband was also slightly tricky as a result.  But the result is comfortable, smooth, and seems to have good recovery for an all-cotton knit.   In any case, I'm totally happy with this fun spring addition.  

This Present Moment

It's hard to know what to write these days.  I'm deeply grieved by the war (for many different reasons) and find I cannot write about it now, if ever.  The situation is highly complex and I dislike the way that the Narrative About What Is Happening is being twisted to suit simple explanations.  I feel my general lack of agency keenly.

It does feel frivolous to share my sewing and knitting in the present moment, but I like to have a record of it here to refer back to later.  (Sometimes I wonder why I do, since it really serves no one but myself, and I weary of adding my poor voice to the chattering classes, but I find I do not want to quit this space just yet).

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to make another Toaster sweater out of some cotton-tencel French terry from Telio. The price per yard was more than I usually spend, but the Kaufman French terry line has a fair amount of spandex in it, and I didn't think I'd like it in a Toaster sweater.  

I made the same size 10 as before, but shortened the body so I could put the bottom band on it.  The arm-to-hem length is about 11", which I think is a good length.  I'm starting to feel like Goldilocks with my sweater lengths, as I can't quite figure out what I like best.  10.5" is right at my waist, but can pull up the back, and 12" is bordering on frump-town, so 11" feels like a happy medium.  

And on that note, I recently reknit the bottom of my Cypress sweater to add some short rows to the back hem and slightly lengthen the body as well as make it long-sleeved.  Now I'm all: Add All The Short Rows! to my previous knits.

But I digress.  This Toaster is a nice weight, and more sweatshirt-like than my first one, but I've worn it several times since I made it.  It feels like a good transition piece on its own and a decently warm piece with a long-sleeve layer underneath.  

The color is more complex than it photographed--it has an undertone of berry in it that gives the rust a great rich color in person.  Imagine dipping rust in red wine and that will get you close.  I really like it. 

 

The silhouette is perhaps a bit more casual than my usual semi-fitted, but my clothes are all over the place right now with my body shape in flux.  

Toaster Sweater #1 & Simple Skirts

Peggy at Sew House 7 recently ran a sale on her popular Toaster sweater pattern to celebrate a regrade and I couldn't resist getting a pdf copy.  I have had such success with her patterns this past year, and I don't knit as fast as would be ideal for wardrobe purposes.  She also restocked her lovely wool-cotton jersey and since I've been wearing my wool-cotton jersey Coco on repeat this winter, I bought another yard and a half, hoping to squeak out a Toaster sweater version.

Nothing much to report on this.  I dithered a bit on the sizing, as I didn't want it too fitted, but I didn't want it sloppy either.  My more fitted clothing doesn't fit quite right at the moment.  

I've gained a fair bit of weight around my middle in the past six weeks (much to my dismay and consternation, as I've not changed anything...I'm working to get to the bottom of it, as well as making some lifestyle changes, but still.  It is frustrating.  I'm not someone who subscribes to the idea that the only good bodies are small bodies, but I feel better in my body when I am at the weight I've been maintaining since around 2015.  So I'm hoping this is a temporary glitch and not the new normal).  I did have a bit of an argument with myself about the basic idiocy of wearing elastic waistbands all the time because they don't constrict me during the day and therefore allowed me to gain weight by not providing adequate feedback before I slapped myself upside the head and told the eating-disordered part of my brain to shut up and go home.  

Anyway, I ended up going with a 10, on the idea that my size 10 Remy was a bit roomy for a summery blouse, but the 8 was more fitted to my preference.  In the wool-cotton jersey, that has very little stretch for a knit, I worried that an 8 would be too tight.  The 10 was exactly the right call, as I love the way this one fits.  I've been wanting something with a high (but not tight) neckline lately, as I can't stand anything tight around my neck (hot flashes!) but I'm cold because of being anemic.  It's a bizarre combination.

I did end up taking off the bottom band as it made the top entirely too long to be flattering on me, and I knew shortening the body to accomodate the band would throw off the proportions.  I did a baby hem of just under 3/8" and called it good.  (Which probably gives you a fair idea of how short-waisted I really am).  Because I was working with a yardage that was just shy of the recommendation, I cut the neck piece on the cross grain and had to piece a tiny bit of the inside of the bottom band but it looks fine and gets over my head okay.  As it happens, since I took off the bottom band anyway, I probably could have made it cutting the neck on the grain, but it doesn't matter.  

The skirt is a super simple knit skirt that I cut using the M7353 as my guide.  The fabric is a thicker quilted cotton knit I found at KnitFabric.com.  I skipped the pockets and used the waistband facing from the Free Range Slacks.  The stitching at the bottom of the facing is a little more visible than I thought it would be, but I could go back and hand stitch it if need be.  I did the hem by hand for that reason.  Since I had skipped the pockets, I also sewed a little fabric loop on the inside of the front facing so I could hook my pedometer to it. 

And because I am making really simple stuff lately, I also made a Free Range skirt hack out of chambray flannel last month and never showed it, so ta-da (shown with the same Toaster sweater):

No construction notes except that I used rayon seam tape on the pocket edges instead of fabric facing to reduce bulk on that seam.  I've worn the skirt quite a bit since I made it.

The keen-eyed amongst you will notice the brace on my left arm. I fell in October and it kept hurting enough to wake me up at night, so I finally got it looked at and I have traumatic tennis elbow. There's a longer medical term for it, but that's the short version. I have to wear the brace as much as possible for the next six weeks and had a cortisone shot, both of which have helped a lot.