Raspberry Lizard Redux

Another brief note, this one an update about that sweater I posted in the fall.  I finished it a year ago but didn't wear it until cooler weather in the fall.  The length always bugged me, as it wanted to ride up in the back and left me feeling cold!  I didn't end up wearing it much at all this past season.  

I decided to lengthen the hem an inch or so, and also fixed one of the cuffs that I had made a mistake on while I was at it.  It was a fairly fast fix.

I didn't want to make a turtleneck out of the neckkline, so I made a little cowl using the pattern as a guide so I can add it if I want to.  I did the first repeat twice (or maybe three times?) and the second repeat twice before purling a few rows and then a bind off.  I like how it came out!  It will definitely be warmer than the first iteration.  Fingers crossed I will wear it more this coming winter!

And yes, it really is cold enough for wools again today!  Go home, weather, you're drunk.

Inside Out

 This make was an exercise in piecing.  I'm not sure it is an entirely successful make (not because of the piecing), but I mostly like wearing it, so I guess it is okay?  

I found some heavy cotton sweatshirt type material in what I thought was going to be a dusty pink color but turned out to be sort of a clayish pink. The reverse side, however, was a nice saturated sienna, so I decided to go with it, as the saturated side looked much better next to my face.

My original intention was a Toaster, but I changed plans after receiving the fabric and decided to try for a Coco instead, since husband really likes my blue wool Coco dress and I thought it would be nice to have another in a brighter color.  

That meant I was a bit short on the yardage, but I figured if I'd made it with the same short yardage in the wool version, I could do it with this.

I'm not really sure why it was harder to make the pieces fit on the yardage, but I had to piece the sleeves to even get to 3/4 length, and at that point, I figured I might as well piece all the way to long sleeved cuffs.  I ended up taking off the last piece to turn inside out for a contrast cuff, which I like better than my original iteration.  

I also pieced a reverse border to get the extra length I lacked.  I thought about turning the neckline to the outside for the same contrast there, but decided against it since that clay color really isn't great next to my face.  

I do kind of like the texture of the fleecy outside and smooth knit inside (which admittedly is less warm than I anticipated, but will make for a decent shoulder season piece). 

Given the hot flash issues, it was probably the right call.  I recently thrifted an oversize sweater that I think will look good with it and warm it up more.  

Legacy Stash

My husband's seamstress aunt died a few years ago, leaving behind a fair stash of fabric and notions.  (Funny story: the first time she met me, my husband and I had been dating only a few months and she immediately proclaimed that she would make my wedding dress.  It was one of those classic My Big Fat Greek Wedding moments.  In the end, however, my mother made my dress).

Anyway, when we visited one of the cousins last summer, she asked me to look through the stash and take what I wanted. A lot of it was fibers or colors that I knew I'd never use, but there was a generous yard of wool Glen plaid that I took, along with some black velvet that had been sewn into the beginnings of a teeny tiny pencil skirt. 

I'm not sure what I'll use the velvet for, but I decided to make up the Glen plaid into a simple skirt (simple being my one-trick pony).  Given that the limited yardage+plaid, it seemed best to limit seam lines for optimum pattern matching.

I used my trusty Anne Adams 9481 and left off all the waist darts and band, as well as adding back in the center back seam allowance that I had taken out the last time I graded it down.  The pockets are done in a two-part construction that I thought would look bulky in this fabric, so I took a page from the Free Range slacks and used just the back piece and stitched it to the skirt.  I hand stitched some linen bias on the pocket edge to finish it.  In retrospect, I should have extended the top edge of the pocket at least as deep as the facing, but live and learn.  

There was a bit of bemberg left from my wool skirt so I lined this one.  I faced the waistband with bemberg using the Free Range Slacks facing pattern piece.  

The elastic waistband construction uses that of the Elemental skirt.  

It looked weird to top stitch the facing, so I hand stitched it as well as the hem.  I need to steam the front again a few more times, as the fold lines have proved tricky to get out, but hopefully I'll get there in the end.

The top is another 1 yard Coco top with extended cuffs in Marsala cotton jersey knit.  I added an inch of length to the body, just to see if I'd like that better, and I'm not sure--Goldilocks again. 

It feels like it might be on the edge of hitting in an unflattering spot and perhaps my original length would have been better.  Maybe I should split the difference?  I dunno.  I realized that I need to be making a forward shoulder adjustment on tops and dresses, so will try that on future makes for a better fit.

And in the land of Penelope, I finished this sweater after knitting the yoke three times (I know, I know...) but...the sleeves fit like sausage casings and came out much too long.  I knew it was a mistake not to go up a needle size, so I'm reknitting both sleeves.  The neckline is also a bit higher and tighter than I prefer, so I'm also going to tink that back and decrease fewer stitches.  I've pretty much given up hopes of wearing it this season.  Oh well. 

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.

Frankenpatterning again...

I've had a hard time finding a warm weather dress pattern I like; the Emerald I made in the spring is just okay, and I'm not sure I want to keep fiddling with a pattern that isn't well suited to my proportions.  After my toile of the Tea House dress, I had the idea of using the elements of it that I liked (the wrap around sash, cut on sleeves and midi length) and adapting it for a knit. I have a RTW midi dress that I like the look and fit of very much but not the fiber content, and wanted to replicate the look in a better fiber substrate.  So this dress is the result of those two things coming together, with a lot of stops in between to tweak the details.  It does seem like a winner.  My husband likes it very much, so that's all the better! 

(A note about the pictures: the ones in the garden were taken before I opened up the neckline, the ones inside taken after.  The fit difference is subtle, but I thought it would be nice to show both sets).

I started with the Emerald top for the bodice, and put the McCall's 7353 skirt on it, since I like the way the pockets are installed.  I used the sash pattern from the Tea House dress.  I narrowed the skirt to match the width of my original alteration to the Emerald top, taking out about 1/2".  I also added 1" to the top and bottom of the skirt, and 3/4" to the top to give myself a large seam allowance at the waist. The fabric is the Telio Perla that I used for my burgundy skirt.  I still can't get over how much the hand of that fabric changes with washing.

 I had originally thought to install elastic at the waist and use the belt for show only, but the waist line was too high, and the whole thing ended up looking quite strange, and not at all the silhouette I wanted. So I pulled out the elastic, unpicked the bodice from the skirt and cut the extra 1" off the top of the skirt. 

 

 

 

The next problem was with the pockets, which gaped badly and pulled the skirt weirdly across the hips, so I cut them off and seamed the edges which fixed the pulling across the hips.  It is probably because I took out the 1/2"; I can't decide whether the pockets are worth it in this dress, to be honest.

I also recut the neckline wider, as my original neckline looked slightly odd, and it was pulling at the sides.  Releasing some of that and rebinding the neck made the whole thing behave better and pushed the sleeve caps a little further down on my biceps, which also looks better.

I used the Emerald facings for the sleeve openings, but used a simple binding for the neckline rather than the facing (although I wish I had done a proper facing on it).  I also faced the hem, mostly because I like the look of it better, and I think it lies flatter than a regular knit hem.  It wouldn't be hard to adapt the sleeves to 3/4 or long sleeves, but I'm short on warm weather dresses at the moment.

This dress was a great traveling garment, and I wore it on the plane to and from California.  The slightly longer length kept my legs covered on the cold plane, but it was still comfortable for sitting in a narrow seat for many hours.

After seeing Whitney's Woolfork yellow linen dress, I got sort of obsessed about having a yellow summer dress too.  I have SAD in the summer time instead of winter, and I'll take whatever dose of cheery I can get!

The daffodil linen Whitney used was a little dear for my budget (although it is a perfect yellow!), and the Woolfork is fabric hungry (almost 5 yards!), so I decided to try for a yellow knit, with a few tweaks to the Emerald-M7353 mashup.  

 

 I ordered the fabric from the same place as my yellow, green, and teal skirts, but I decided to try the light yellow instead of the medium, thinking it might work better with my skin tone for a solid yellow dress.  In retrospect, I should have gone with the same medium yellow as my skirt, as the light yellow is just this side of neon instead of buttercup.  (It is hard to tell in these photos, but trust me when I say it is VERY bright yellow). Yellow is so tricky!  I love it, but I have to have a very particular shade of yellow if I want to wear it next to my face and not look ill. This shade was not it and I'm mad at myself about it.  Moving on...

My tweaks to this version were to add the width back to the skirt that I took out, and to widen the Emerald top portion to match (which in turn widened the neckline a bit more).  I did all the facings this time and the fit is better on this one, with just a tad more ease throughout.  I could have managed pockets but I was rushing to finish it before our California trip, so I didn't bother.  It's just as well, as I'll be cutting this dress down for undergarments.  

The fit is good, however, and I've got a green dress cut out with the fitting changes using the same green knit as my skirt.  My kids' school color is kelly green, so I'm excited to wear the green one for school events!  (Pics to come when I've finished the thing)

Basics: Navy Knit Dress

Oh look, another M7353.  I've actually worn this dress four times already and washed it at least twice, but just got around to photographing it today.  I guess that means it is a roaring success!

I mean, you really can't go wrong with a basic navy knit dress.  I've missed having one in my closet since my old one got too big and shabby last year or the year before, I forget right now.

I used Kaufman's Laguna jersey, which is the same line as my red Pascha dress, so I was reasonably confident about how it would work with this pattern.  In a word: splendidly.  The Laguna line has a fairly wide color range, but I wish there was a burgundy and a deep olive green, because those are the two colors I'm missing right now.  I had knit dresses in both colors last year, that were too big by late spring and not really my style any longer, so I let them go.  I might just make a burgundy one from the Shetland flannel line, as it will work for color and warmth in winter.

(Outtake: what happens when you turn around too quickly for the self-timer!)

I love how soft this fabric is, and how comfortable the dress is.  I can't really say enough good things about Laguna jersey.  I did shorten the skirt a bit on this dress, as with the fusion dress, and I still think it could go slightly shorter, but I'm not going to mess with it now.

The scarf was a recent Old Navy find and I love it.  Sometimes white doesn't look good next to my face, but this scarf seems to work.

Pocketeses!  I've said it before, I'll say it again: these are the best drafted inseam pockets I've ever worked with.  I'm thinking of using them on a flannel washi dress for winter.  (Actually, I'm thinking of Frankenpatterning the M7353 bodice to the Washi skirt for this dress, and using the pockets from the M7353.  I'm not sure it is going to work, but maybe I'll do a quick muslin to check before cutting into my flannel).

In sum: the perfect three season dress.

And for your amusement, I present this, by Birdie:

I especially like the caption--ha!

Holy Week & Pascha 2018

Christ is Risen!  Truly He is Risen!

I didn't actually take many photos during Holy Week because I was directing the choir at one of the local parishes here for most of the services.  I had a bit of extra time before the Holy Saturday Vesperal Liturgy to snap a couple of photos of the tomb, which was beautiful.  The liturgy was also beautiful and has really grown on me as I've directed it two years in a row now.  I especially love the Magnificat of that service: Do Not Lament Me O Mother.  (It is also sung on Friday night at the Lamentations).

The Holy Saturday Liturgy just says: "Get ready!  Pascha is coming!" to me in a way that the other services of Holy Week don't (and shouldn't, as the focus of the services in the early part of the week is on the coming Passion on Friday).  

I also watched The Passion on Friday night, as has become my Holy Week tradition since my girls are still too young and squirrelly to make it through the long Thursday and Friday night services.  (We go to the first 20-30 minutes and then head home so they can go to bed.  I also take them to the Vespers on Friday afternoon, which lasts an hour).  The movie always puts me in the right headspace for those days. (And yes, I want to see the new Paul movie!)

Our home parish leaves the shroud (called the plashinitsa in Russian, epitaphios in Greek) in the middle of the church until the start of Midnight Office at 11:15 p.m.  (There are differing cultural practices about when the shroud goes into the altar; some parishes bring it into the altar earlier in the evening).  Since I attended the Holy Week services at local parishes, it was nice to venerate the shroud at our home parish just before the Paschal celebration.

Reading the Gospel outside the church doors at 11:50 p.m. or so.  Father David bangs on the door shortly after that to say: "Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in!" and then someone inside says: "Who is this King of Glory?"  and Father David says: "He is the King of Glory!" They do this exchange three times (because we never do anything just once in the Orthodox Church!) and then Father says: "The LORD of hosts, He is the King of Glory!" and the doors spring open, and we go inside.  All the lights are on and we sing "Christ is Risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life!"

It is wonderful.  (It was also very cold outside this year--below freezing!  I was wearing a heavy sweater, woolen scarf and a down coat with tall boots and I was still cold)  Ponchik was heavily wrapped as well but was still shivering inside my coat.

The church is so so bright after the darkness of the Midnight Office and the dark colors of Holy Week.

The Gospel reading of the Liturgy:

Red eggs for Pascha! (I bought The Miracle of the Red Egg for our burgeoning Pascha book basket this year).

I set up a little Paschal season tableaux on my living room cabinet.  Some of the eggs are from Russia, others I've just collected here and there.

Someone sent us that card a few years ago so I framed it and put it out each year.  I really love those folk art prints.  I have a bunch of the Christmas ones that I put up for Nativity.

Eggs!

These are wooden, by the way, not proper pysanky.  I'd love to make some real ones some day.

I also put up my Paschal greeting window clings.  The right windows are in English, Russian, Greek, and Arabic.

The left windows are in Latin, Dutch, Georgian, and Romanian.  There is an Orthodox etsy seller who makes them.

And I'm sure you are all dying to see my Pascha dress. *snort*  I did get it done in time, but I had to wait until Holy Monday to actually sew it together because spring break (which fell during the 6th week of Lent) was abso-freakin-lutely nuts.

So another M7353 (are you surprised?) in Robert Kaufman Laguna Jersey.  I really like this jersey, because it is a nice weight, has the right amount of stretch, isn't see-through, and handles quite well.  It comes in a bunch of colors and I'd like to make a navy one later this year to replace a navy knit eshakti dress that doesn't suit my style any more.

I went with the Ladybug colorway, but I do wish I had gone with the regular red, as this was a bit more to the orangey-red than I really wanted.  I love a true blue-red but I didn't have time to swatch it.  But it was still good.  When this dress bites the dust, I'll get the regular red colorway to replace it.

The upside of this particular shade was that it coordinated very well with my Pavlovo-Posad woolen scarf from Russia that I bought years ago.  (It has a few moth munches on one corner now, but I keep wearing it anyway).  Because it was freezing!

I had on peacock-teal tights, which matched the blue in the scarf too.  Because I'm matchy-matchy like that.  😂

As has become my Paschal tradition, I put Home Free in the CD player on my way home from church yesterday, and listened to their new Timeless album (It is GREAT!)  The kids and I got donuts on the way to school this morning, and I had my first hot coffee in a while.  

It is a good Bright Monday.

Christus is opgestaan!

Hij is waarlijk opgestaan!

(Dutch)