Sing it, Sistah.

File this one under: "If it ain't broke..."

I mentioned that I spent some time sewing on Saturday.  I made this blouse and skirt, plus finished the polka dot headscarf I had to hem.  

I have to say, I love Portrait blouses.  I can cut one out and sew it up, start to finish, in under two hours.  This took slightly more than that, because I had a lot of interruptions, but it was close.  The skirt I had already cut out a few weeks ago, so the sewing went pretty quickly on it.  

The blouse is from the Melody rayon challis that I made my dress from in July.  I had quite a bit left over, and easily got the blouse out of the largest piece of left over fabric.  I could probably still make an accessory or two out of the scraps.  I really love this fabric!  It does need a stretch needle to sew up easily, but it handles really well, and I'm totally happy with the way it works on the Portrait blouse--it has just the right amount of drape to it.  I went back to my old kimono sleeves with this blouse, instead of the cut-on style I've been using, because I like the fit better, and I lengthened the bottom about an inch, as I've thought that the blouse was still coming out a bit shorter than I'd like.  I think this is about right for length--I like my blouses to stay tucked in!

The skirt is from my frankenpattern, the vintage McCall's 4275.  I did all my usual modifications, plus adding some darts in the front and back for additional shaping.  I used this technique for the waistband construction, and I'm so pleased with how it came out.  The Petersham ribbon gives the waistband so much more stability, and the double width of the fabric makes it nice and smooth (I always did wonder about getting that annoying ridge out of the waistband.  It feels very sturdy and I like that I can wear the skirt without a belt.  I'm going to use this technique from now on!  It really doesn't take extra time, and the finish is so nice and clean.  

I used a leftover vintage button from my green cardigan for the closure, and handworked the button hole with embroidery floss.  The fabric is a basic cotton twill I found at fabric.com--it is lightweight and has nice drape, although it does want to wrinkle a bit more than some other fabrics I've worked with.  It isn't as nice as the Hampton Twill from Robert Kaufman, but the price is pretty sweet, so there's that.  Plus I really wanted kelly green, and wasn't inclined to be picky about the manufacturer as long as the color was correct.  Since the cotton-linen Hollyburn I made this summer was a bust, I've really been missing a green skirt in my wardrobe--so many of my blouses are made to go with one. 

I left the skirt unlined so I can wear it in several seasons.  I did the hem with bias tape, and top-stitched the pockets, as usual.  I used a jeans needle for sewing the fabric and I'm so glad I did!  The last twill skirt I made I just used a regular needle, and it was such tough going.  The heavier needle worked great.  I probably could have gotten away with a heavier weight universal needle, given that this was a light weight twill, but the jeans needle was good too.  It was especially nice for the top stitching.  The fabric is quite soft (not as soft as the micro-brushed twill I used two summers ago, but close) and I'm pleased with it.  I would order another color way from this manufacturer again, I think.

Mostly I just feel pleased that I made an A-line skirt that fits me really well and looks good (if I do say so myself).  I know skirts are supposed to be a great starter project, but honestly, if you have a large hip-to-waist ratio (and for most of my life, I have had 10"+ difference) it is really hard to fit properly.  I think skirts are the most challenging garment for me to fit correctly.  This skirt gives me hope!  I also had good luck last winter with my straight flannel skirt, and will definitely use that pattern again as well.

Just the facts:

Melody Portrait blouse: Gertie's Portrait blouse from Gertie's New Book for Better Sewing (the first one), Melody rayon challis from Wearing History clothing, bias tape

Kelly green twill skirt: McCall's 4275 and Hollyburn pocket piece, cotton twill from fabric.com, bias tape, zipper, petersham ribbon, vintage button, embroidery floss

shoes: dankso via ebay

earrings: vintage, via flea market

Green Cookie Book Dress

I spent a few hours on Saturday stitching away, and finished half my fall project list (yay!)--nothing like realizing that the clothing for the warm half of the fall is built around clothing you've haven't made yet!  Ha! 

I actually made this dress in August, during one of those disgustingly hot weeks.  I made a black linen kontorasson for my husband earlier that day, as he had been wearing a wool one in the heat, and was just about ready to expire from heat exhaustion.  He's worn it almost every day since, and I've still not managed to get a picture of it.  I made this dress as a kind of palette cleanser from the project, as the self-lined part of the vest about did me in.  

 (Please forgive my washed out self in these photos--I've been sick for weeks and spent Saturday night in the ER with a pill caught in my throat; I'm not at my best at the moment)

I had cut it out in early July, but then let it sit, as I was burned out on sewing, my measurements were expanding daily, and I just couldn't face another dress project.  I'm glad I waited, as I'm currently down 13 pounds, and pretty close to the measurements I was about a year ago (I'll do a proper STATurday post soon).  So this dress fits quite nicely at the moment.  Today was my first day to wear it, and the temps have dropped into a lovely range, and I even busted out a cardigan this morning!  Yay, fall!!

I didn't do much different to this dress in terms of construction, except for two things.  I made sure that the skirt length was a precise 27 inches, and I made the waist seam 7/8" wide and then sewed it down on the top to make a casing, which I threaded with some elastic to cinch the waist a bit.  I really like this effect--I don't have to wear a belt if I don't want to, and it magically fixes the bodice length issues I've been having for months.  I've done it on a few other dresses as a retrofit, and I like it a lot.  It is much easier to do while constructing the dress for a number of reasons, but I don't mind the retro fit if it helps it fit better.

I think I may have subtracted out the seam allowance on the back bodice on this version, so there is less fullness in the back (which is good--when I moved the zip from the back to the side, I left in the seam allowance, which made for a lot of wonk in the back)

Normal self-yoked pockets, using the Hollyburn pocket pattern piece--I seriously love these pockets.  I feel good about my inseam pocket technique now, but I just really like the look of these yoked ones.

The necklace was an etsy purchase over the summer that I've been saving for fall.  Unfortunately, the seller went out of business at the end of July, but she had a lot of quirky stuff.  My cuckoo-clock necklace came from her shop.

The dress looks good with a number of belts in my closet (particularly a reddish brown leather one that I've had for ages), and several cardigans, so I'm pretty happy with the versatility of it.  I'm happy with the fit and length, and the color is a nice three-season color (possibly even four season!)

This dress sort of makes me question whether I need to tweak my bodice sloper at all for the cut-on sleeve version.  I do think I'd like to fit an inset sleeve version, and I do have a raglan bodice I'd like to try out.  I'm thinking I may try it on the Boxcar dress I have planned.  I realized also that this bodice works best with a round neck--it just pulls weirdly with a v-neck or square neck.  Which is fine, as I have a mild preference for a round neck anyway.  

In other news, I finished my Historical Sew Monthly entry, and have three sewing projects to show in the next little while.  I started listening to The Word of Promise (New Testament) this morning on the way to drop off, and it is very well done.  I went ahead and ordered the Old Testament as well (I thought I had ordered the whole Bible, but what came in the mail was the New Testament discs), and am looking forward to many hours of listening to the Bible read aloud.  I'm not an aural learner at all, and I generally struggle to follow along with audio books, but this seems to be going well, since it is told in a kind of story-telling manner.  The text is directly from the Bible, but the different speakers are voiced by various actors and the narrator's voice is easy to listen to.

Just the facts:

Green Cookie Book dress: Cotton+Steel fabric, frankenpattern dress sloper (modified Emery bodice, Hollyburn pocket pattern, McCall's 4275 skirt pieces)

Navy cashmere/cotton cardigan: Banana Republic

Shoes: Dansko, via ebay

Acorn necklace: Weeping Grove (etsy)

Earrings: vintage, Christmas gift a few years ago

Little Pilgrim's Progress

A few weeks ago, Person of Interest showed up in my Netflix "recommended" list.  I admit, I didn't know much about the show, beyond a few promotional spots I'd seen over the years in hotel rooms or airports.  I had just finished re-watching Alias (again!) and was casting around for something new.  I started watching it and got completely hooked.  I really like the premise (I realized lately that I'm very drawn to stories about people who live in the shadows), and the casting and storytelling is superb. I've really never gone wrong with anything J.J. Abrams has made.  

One of the two central actors in the show, Jim Caviezel, is best known for playing Christ in The Passion, a film which tells the story of Jesus' last hours and His crucifixion with brutal reality.  I happened to watch it again this year during Holy Week, and there were many things that stood out to me all these years later.  The scenes with His Mother particularly resonated with me, and I couldn't help thinking about how I would feel if one of my sons were to be subjected to such a horrible death in front of my eyes.  I realized afresh what an incredible sacrifice the Lord made for my sake, of my need mercy and grace.

I've heard little things about Caviezel over the years, about how serious he is about his faith, his pro-life stance, his commitment to his moral principles while working in a largely amoral business.  And even though his Mr. Reese is a man with some moral ambiguity, he is still a highly-principled black-and-white, right-and-wrong sort of person, and Caviezel plays him well. I admire a sober, intense person with high principles who stands by them, even when it isn't popular.  

I did a little surfing on YouTube earlier this week, as I was a bit curious to see some interviews with Caviezel.   I happened across a powerful interview he gave at a church in Texas a few years ago.  It is about 40 minutes long, so give yourself a bit of time to watch it and take it all in. Fair warning: the guy talking with him seems uncomfortable with the subject matter (odd, for a Christian pastor), and, at times, has mildly inappropriate responses, but Caviezel is unfazed and responds with love.  That guy has Jesus in him.

What stood out to me in the end was that Jim Caviezel's general attitude toward life is: what can I do to show the face of Jesus to everyone I meet?  How do I show love?  How do I love my neighbor as myself?  (There is a particularly moving moment toward the end of the video where he breaks into Aramaic and tears stream down his face as he speaks the words of Jesus to the congregation)  I've been thinking about it all week, meditating on it.

I need to keep working on it, particularly with my own family.  I need to read more spiritual works, and study the Bible (to this end, I bought The Word of Promise to listen to in the car on my school drop off and pick up rounds) I need to spend more time in prayer--I find our family prayer times are very chaotic and unfocused for me.  I need to work harder to carve out a more consistent private prayer rule.  

My grandparents gave me a copy of Little Pilgrim's Progress when I was about 9, and I found it during a recent book reorganization; I've been reading a chapter or two aloud to the boys in the evenings and it has been good for me to hear and remember as well.  I think perhaps I didn't fully appreciate the richness of the story when I read it as a child.  The story of the brothers Passion and Patience just slayed me--it cut me to the core.  I wanted to weep for the child who couldn't wait for the good things of the Lord, but would only be contented with fleeting pleasures.  I know I am far more often like Passion than like Patience. 

I am grateful to have people in my life now that I consider role models both with regards to the spiritual life, but also just life in general (the two aren't really separate, I know).  I am grateful to be given the chance for repentance again and again, and to keep on the journey to the Celestial City.  The story of Little Christian reminds me that there are many hills and valleys, difficulties and joys, and that it cannot be all one or the other, but it is all part of facing heavenward, of desiring theosis. 

Love starts at home.

Yarn Along: 1918 Walking Sweater Progress and 1933 Neckwarmer

I've been knitting a lot these last few weeks--I'm too hot to sew, and naptimes are perfect for knitting.  I actually finished the green cardigan sweater last week, but as it is still in the mid-90s with about 85% humidity, I really can't bear to put it on to take photos--besides, that sweater has a lot of agony in the backstory that needs telling. I'll just give you a little peek:

  I promise I will show it off properly as soon as it cools down a bit!  I think it turned out pretty well.

I'm still working on the 1918 Walking Sweater, and I think I can say I'm in the home stretch.  I still have to do most of the garter stitch on the front bottom section, but after that, it is just collar and cuffs, which should go pretty quickly, I think.  This sweater has been an adventure in interpretation, I'll say.  The instructions are *very* lean, and I've had to learn a few new techniques.  It is a bit unwieldy at this point, but I guess I should just treat it like a blanket project and fold strategically.

I also cast on my Historical Sew Monthly project for September (theme: brown).  It is a neckwarmer from 1933, and I spotted it at dottie angel and fell in love.  It is basic garter stitch and small, so a good fast make during this crazy month.  I had a bunch of other ideas for the brown theme, but this seems the most doable, plus the most useful for my current wardrobe needs (and will match my favorite gauntlets from last winter).  

I have some marigold-colored cotton-linen yarn from KnitPicks that I'm going to make up into some kind of accessory soon, as it is the perfect golden color for fall--I just need to settle on a pattern.  I can't decide between gauntlets, a skinny scarflet, a cowl or collar, or something else.  I'm tempted to make another quick cardigan, but would need more yarn.  Decisions, decisions...

As for reading, my stack is high, but I'm currently reading The Combat-Ready Kitchen on my kindle, which is an amusing romp through the military-industrial food complex.  Before that, I was reading The Dressmaker, which was just made into a film (I've not seen it).  It is equal parts disturbing and interesting.  I'm not sure I could handle the film, honestly.  Prior to The Dressmaker, I read The Dress Thief, which was an excellent novel about high fashion couture and fashion piracy set in 1930s Paris.  I recommend it for a light but engaging read.

Linking with Ginny for Yarn Along.

Fall Sewing

I mentioned that I have a few projects lined up for my fall wardrobe.  I admit, it took me a little while to get enthusiastic about sewing again, but I think I'm ready to tackle these projects.  I'm feeling better about the direction my body is heading, size-wise, and I'm also keeping things simple and trying to work with patterns I've made before, and save my fitting headaches for new slopers.

1. Burgundy Rayon Portrait blouse: this 1980s rayon remnant ended up in my stash after last year's birthday.  I admit, I was afraid to use it, in part because it is an odd size, and in part because rayon scared me.  After making the Melody dress, I'm less daunted, as the rayon is similar in structure and drape.  That said, I'm sticking to a Tried-And-True (TNT) pattern: Gertie's Portrait blouse.  (I made a ton of these two summers ago)  I'm doing the plain (non-button front) version to keep things extra simple to highlight the pretty floral design. I think it will look lovely with several of my fall skirts, paired with a cardigan and boots.

2. Melody Rayon Portrait blouse: I have enough fabric left over from making the dress that I wanted to make a simple blouse too.  I've been admiring Stephanie's combination of Norma Jean blouse with a green skirt, and wanted to make my own version.  Again, because the fabric has a busy print, I'm sticking with a simple Portrait blouse.  I debated a long time whether to push this project off to the spring, but I think I'd like to make it now, as it will get some wear before the weather turns colder.

3. Kelly green cotton twill skirt (see green swatch above):  I know, I know, I already have a kelly green skirt.  But there are a bunch of things I don't like about it, and haven't really worn it much as a result.  I really love the color, and it matches almost every blouse I've made.  But the fabric isn't really what I'd hoped it would be.  I like the idea of a linen-cotton blend, but the fabric has never softened up the way 100% linen does, and it is a little bit on the itchy side.  It has also stayed somewhat stiff, and I'd been wanting something with a bit more drape. I also don't love how full it is, and I wish I had top-stitched the pockets down, as the self-facing wants to flip out constantly.

I'm also unhappy with the fit, particularly around the lower back and waist--it pulls weirdly across my lower back (probably too tight) and gapes around my waist (too big).  So I found some lovely kelly green cotton twill from fabric.com and am going to make up a similar skirt in a better length with less sweep to it.  It isn't quite as bright as the linen-cotton, but it is very soft, and yet light enough to be a three-season skirt.  I'm looking forward to trying a few new construction techniques.  I'm using my trusty McCall's 4275 skirt pattern since I'm pretty happy with the fit and sweep of it, and have made skirts from it before.

4.  Bodice slopers/Boxcar dress:  I had in mind to make a lagenlook shift-style dress from this lovely deep purple linen-rayon blend I picked up this summer, but I sort of fell out of love with the fabric and the project after cutting it out.  I may finish it some day, but for now, it is going back into the bin for a long sleep.  I have a dress project in mind for the fabric above ("Boxcar" from Cotton + Steel), but need to fix my bodice slopers first.  I've been meaning to find a good raglan sleeve bodice for a while, and I need to rework my Emery bodice for better fit, plus I'd like to fit it for set-in sleeves.  I also want to toile the Alma blouse pattern to see if I like it any better than Gertie's Portrait blouse.  I might toile a skirt pattern as well, but am trying to keep the pressure off for this sort of thing, as my measurements are still changing.  Plus I have a good amount of skirts for the moment.

5.  Polka Dot Headscarf: this hardly qualifies as a project, as it is basically just finishing the edges of a square with bias tape, but I've been wanting a bright red polka dot headscarf for a while, and found the perfect fabric from Michael Miller over the summer.  It is cut and ready for hemming.

That's it for fall!  I have my winter sewing projects plotted out, but will need to complete #4 before cutting anything.  I'll probably sew the Melody blouse and green twill skirt in September while the weather is still good enough to wear them without tons of layers, and work on the other stuff in October.

Project 333: Fall

I posted my Project 333 Summer Wrap Up yesterday, and now I can move on to fall!  Swapping out my clothing for this next 3 months was actually really easy.  I've been keeping a little notebook for the project, and have a list for each 3 month time period, so all I had to do was pull everything out that was on the list and put everything else away.  I did try to put things away in a logical order--I tried to put garments that will be in the spring and summer pile in with the spring clothing, where I would logically look for them in April.

I also decided to put some of my belts and other accessories away--I have a subset of earrings and necklaces that really only go with my summer dresses, and some belts that really only go with one or two things from the spring or summer.  It helps to have the accessories pared down for the next two seasons as well.

I think I have a wide enough range of clothing to accommodate the current temps, as well as the colder temps that will come in a month or two.  These clothes will last me until the end of December.

I also have a couple of projects planned for the fall, and will blog about those later, but for now, my pics include stuff that is actually finished or nearly there (such as the green knitted cardigan).

Without further ado, here's the fall lineup:

Top right: 

1922 Linen Day Dress, Chambray Dress, Mesa Dress, Green Cookie Book dress (not blogged/worn yet)

Top middle:

Taupe wool skirt, Black skirt, Shetland flannel pencil skirt, Rust corduroy skirt

Top left:

Navy Breton shirt, Green knitted cardigan (nearly finished), Cream lightweight cotton cardigan

Bottom right:

Eshakti knit red dress, Ruby Mae dress, Eshakti knit navy dress, Union Station dress

Bottom middle: 

Fat Face blue cardigan, purple Ann Taylor elbow sleeve tshirt, green layering shirt, blue layering shirt

Left middle:

Navy cashmere/cotton cardigan, rust cotton cardigan, black cotton cardigan, brown wool/cotton cardigan

Left bottom:

Wool cream cardigan, gray ribbed turtleneck, black pullover sweater

(not pictured: Amanda jeans--see the summer photo collage)

There are 27 items on my list here, but I have two blouses and a skirt (and possibly another dress) to add as the fall progresses, plus I have another navy knit dress on order from eshakti, so I think this will be fine.

As for footwear, it tends to rain a lot here in the fall, so my primary footwear are my green wellies, but I also wear my brown lace up boots a lot, and have bought a pair of shorter boots to try out this season.  I'll probably wear my summer pairs for a few weeks yet, as it is still in the 90s, but as soon as the weather changes, I'm bringing on the boots!

Project 333: Summer Update

When I first posted about Project 333, it was mid-July, and my initial thought was to run my first three month trial starting then, which would bring me to the end of September on my summer wardrobe of 30 (ish) items.  It also meant that, going forward, my three month seasons were going to be somewhat arbitrary with regard to the weather changes that happen with the seasons here.  I know, for example, that even though we can get a lot of snow in March, I'm usually starting to transition my clothing toward my brighter "spring" wardrobe and away from the darker winter stuff, and that I'm fully into summer clothing after Memorial Day.  I decided to make the three month rotation to go along with the seasonal changes.  No point in doing this thing if it doesn't work for the season/head space I'm in, right?  

So my summer season is now going to end with Labor Day weekend (at least this year).  I've been wearing most of the clothes I detailed in my summer 333 post since the beginning of June anyway.  I'm quite ready to rotate into my fall clothes by now.  I'm craving darker colors, more neutrals, and am ready to start layering on those cardigans!  (If only the weather would cooperate; alas and alack, it is still fully summer here).  I did end up taking a few items out of rotation toward the end of July, as I realized they really worked better as spring pieces, and I made or bought a few items, but stayed around 30 total items in current rotation.

So here's where I ended my summer:

Top right:
Quilt back dress, blue knit dress, pink linen dress, Eshakti voile dress
Top middle:
Chambray dress, Medallion dress, Spotty dot dress, Melody challis dress
Top left:
Fa So La dress, Fade to Blue dress, Cool as a Cuke dress, Green Geometry dress

Bottom right:
Striped knit tunic top, green tshirt, orange-y striped linen tshirt, Breton shirt, crochet neck tshirt
Bottom middle:
White linen skirt, green linen Hollyburn, navy linen skirt, red twill skirt
Right middle:
Peachy-pink cardigan, green cardigan, cream cardigan
Bottom left:
Amanda jeans, Bunny blouse, Art Deco blouse, Chambray shorts

I'm trying to resist the urge to get rid of a few items that I really dislike right now, mostly because I'm not crazy about how they fit me--my bodice sloper has slowly grown too big all over and I'm realizing now that almost everything I've made since late spring is really too big on top and not the right bodice length--either too short or too long.  Almost everything is too big in the waist and looks sloppy as a result.

The clear winners from the season were the blue knit dress (an ancient maternity dress from Old Navy), the pink linen dress, the chambray dress, the Melody challis dress, the voile dress, and the Green Geometry dress.  The bunny blouse and the red and white skirts were good separates.  I liked my seersucker dresses, but struggled to find the right belts to wear with them as the wide brown leather belt that looks best didn't fit by summer's end.

I bought fabric this summer that I deliberately put away for next summer's sewing.  I kind of burned out on sewing by the beginning of August, and needed a bit of a break, especially with all the working out and the heat.  I really want to rework my bodice sloper for better fit, and I didn't want to waste the fabric on projects that I was going to be just so-so about. 

Some things I learned during this summer season: I'm still trying to sort out my personal style as I'm growing older and hot weather clothing is particularly challenging to me. As the summer wore on, I really craved simplicity in my wardrobe.  I wanted unfussy clothing, minimal accessories, easy hair styles, slip on sandals. I generally wear belts with my clothes, but got to dislike them in the extreme heat and humidity we've endured this year.  I added elastic waist casings to several dresses, which not only helped them fit better around the waist, but in some cases eliminated the need for a belt, which was nice.  

I found that 4 pairs of shoes was about enough to give me variety without overwhelming the shoe shelf.  I swapped out the navy Clarks for red Salt Water sandals after my birthday, so I'm ending the summer with two pairs of Salt Waters, my lace-up Danskos, and the taupe Naturalizers.  My lists also helped me to make some very focused purchases for fall, so I'm feeling very good about the next rotation of 30.  

I'll have my fall line up next week!