purple pantomime

Nothing about this involves a pantomime.  It's just a word I enjoy and I thought you would, too.  You're welcome.

I could lie and pretend like this is a different pattern, but would you believe me?  This is, in fact, yet another rendition of the Darling Ranges pattern.  What can I say?  I'm stuck.  It's a nice basic pattern that is easily adaptable.  As you can see this time I've taken it up a notch and added a collar.

I still haven't looked into the swayback adjustment, though.  Nor have I bothered to wash, de-lint, or iron this dress.  My bad.  Let's move on though, shall we?

Yes my legs are really that white.  Welcome to Seattle.

I've gone with an A-line skirt again with pockets (gotta have pockets) and used the collar from   Butterick B5030.  The collar came out... erm... bigger? pointier? than expected.  It's okay though I guess.  I might modify it next time (yes, roll your eyes if you must, but there shall be at least one more of these).

This is my pensive face.  Thinking of all the darlings to come...

One thing I didn't do but I wish I had is interface the button bands.  I did that on my last rendition which you actually haven't seen yet (yes there's another one!) and it really makes a huge difference.  The material is heavy enough I didn't think it needed it but I'm adult enough to admit when I'm wrong.

I suppose a good blogger would've ironed out the most obvious wrinkles first.

The Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Sewing is one of the few sewing books I have (for realz guys I've got 3 all together!) and I've been working on reading through it.  It's a big book, so it's quite the endeavor.  I used all the info it had on rolled collars, though, and I'm glad I did.  It actually recommended stitching the seam allowance just to the under collar, which I considered but obviously didn't do.  I couldn't figure stitching into that crazy point!  I just went for plain old topstitching instead.  Please don't laugh at my wonky stitches; my machine is old, that's the best I can get out of it.

I know I love to see the guts so here ya go.

Guts...  BRAINZZZ....

Check out how cute my pockets are!  I used contrast bias tape to finish the pocket edges and the neckline because, again, too lazy to be arsed with making self bias tape when I had some bias laying about.  The collar is just sewn to the neckline and then everything is finished as usual.  It's a nice, easy, clean finish.  Forget facings!

More guts.

Fabric: thrifted sheet.  I'm hoping to move onto real fabric sometime soon.  Up til now I've felt that my skills were far from doing justice to anything nice, but I'm building up some confidence.

Notions: thrifted buttons from the huge bag o' buttons for 99 cents and some bias tape scraps from other projects.

Pattern: Darling Ranges, as I've mentioned, with a self drafted skirt and pockets, collar from Butterick B5030

Time to Make: I've been working on this dress in spurts since Tuesday!

Make again: Must you ask?

This picture is totally unnecessary but I love it so I had to include it.  All the stitching is black with black buttons to match.  I'll pretend that this was a design element, but I was really just too lazy to go buy matching thread.  I actually ended up liking it.  Now my dress matches my shoes!

All in all, I'm pretty happy with this dress.  It could be a bit better, but it'll do.  Maybe I can do something about the button band later.  Perhaps my sewing book will give me the answer if I keep reading...

Wip Wednesday: Bunny to Be

This one's for Britta.  But aren't my stitch markers pretty?  Christmas present from my dad =)  He makes 'em just for me!

It's a dark, chocolatey brown.  Yes.  Chocolatey is a word I assure you.

That's all for now on this WIP.  Linking up again for WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.  Hopefully I won't be run out of town for linking up a knitting project, it seems like mostly people are linking up quilts in progress.

vintage modern post script

never let it be said that i'm the kind of girl who can write a note without a post script or two.  i can hardly leave a room without going back for my phone.  all this being said...

p.s.to the dress

firstly, an explanation of the original title.  the tag on the sheet was labelled vintage modern, so i suppose the print is supposed to invoke vintage?  i just think it looks like somebody went to town on a spirograph

next, i think i've solved the sleeve problem.  i hate zigzagged edges and i didn't think french seams would work so i flat felled the sleeve seams.  it worked (yay!)

but you can see the weirdness around the neck...

of course you can't see it when it's on, especially in this weather since a sweater is a necessity

i feel like this sweater and this dress were made for each other.  of course that's silly since i made this sweater a couple of years ago before sewing really existed as a hobby for me.

all the seams on this dress are french or flat felled.  the pocket edges are finished with matching bias tape.  pretty insides =)

and a shot of the back because omfg i love this sweater.  whenever i wear it people say you made that?? no way!  you could sell those for like $100.  of course the yarn alone cost almost $100 soo... not so much

i'd never heard of "put a bird on it" when i made this sweater so the whole bird thing may become passe i don't even care i love this sweater!  i don't know about the belt though.  i was inspired by an outfit sewaholic posted.  i've never been much of a beltforreasonsotherthantoholdupmypants sort of person so i'm still working on it.

Edited to add (see I told you) that I'm linked up at Sew Cute Tuesday at Better off Thread for the first time.

Here at the End of Paper Things

Because I love a good pretentiously named sweater

I finished my first sweater of 2013 last night at 11, so technically just barely finished in January.  That means I'm still on schedule for 12 sweaters in 12 months.  Of course I started it mid-December but whatever.

I'm wearing a black camisole underneath (because I always wear a camisole underneath everything) so that lace is not part of the sweater.

The stitch pattern is lifted from Eunny Jang's Endpaper Mitts.... so you've seen it before.  It's a very simple stitch pattern so it was easy to sweaterize.  I worked it from the bottom up because I am perpetually indecisive.  This way I didn't have to decide on neckline shape or raglan versus set in sleeves until most of the sweater was knit.  

I worked faux seams along the sides of the body, running along the underside of the arm, and then up along the raglan seams.  I love using a raglan seam as a design element with a bold line or cable.  Plus the "seam" helps hide the jog when you change rows.  All cast ons and bind offs are of the tubular sort, worked over 2x2 rib.  I swear one day I'll get a tutorial up for that.

I'm an idiot and can't use the self timer on my camera apparently, but look how pretty the stitch pattern is!  Plus you can see the neckline.  The whole sweater is seamless so when I started the neckline shaping I bound off one stitch (for the bottom of the V) and cast on 8 steek stitches.  After I finished knitting I machine sewed the steeks (2 lines on each side) and cut.  I used a blanket stitch to tack down the steeks then picked up and knit the neckline.  It wasn't my first steek and I doubt it will be my last.  Sometimes I wonder why people say things are scary when they're really not that bad.  Steeks aren't scary, they're easier than the alternative!

Here's a more flattering but much less informative rear view.  The yarns are dark grey and off white (natural?  sheep colored?).  They contrast pretty well but I've noticed that from afar they seem to look more like a heathered solid.  

Speaking of which, the yarns were salvaged from two old sweaters.  The grey is wool and the natural is a really soft yummy angora wool blend.  The grey isn't that soft but the combination of the two is super snuggly and warm.  I'm glad I combined them because I didn't think a sweater out of the grey would be wearable.

Overall I'm quite pleased with the outcome.  After taking these pics we went for a bike ride and it was comfortable and warm enough to go jacketless (which in January in Seattle is no small feat).  Actually hurray for finally having a nice enough day for outside pictures.  I didn't actually do any bike riding but the boy is getting the hang of this bike thing =)

i did not make this coat

So why am I showing it to you?  Because I did alter the heck out of it.  I wish I'd gotten a before picture because it was way big for me.

It's just a nice wool coat, something my wardrobe has been severely lacking.  This is another one of those things I had to whip up for my job interview last week.  Since I didn't own even a moderately nice coat I needed something.  And since I can't afford a coat this nice I cut this old one of my dad's down.  

First I took out the (hand) stitching securing the lining to the hem and sleeve caps.  Then I took the coat in along the center back seam, shoulders, and armscye.  I didn't want to take the collar off so I ended up pinning then handstitching it down around the neckline to take out the excess.

What a mess my sewing room is right now.  But the back fits pretty well.  I think I did something wrong when I handstitched the hem lining back because, well, just look at it.

It's in desperate need of another button and buttonhole.  I'll need some matching thread for that though.   And matching buttons of course.  It'd be eclectic but not so much professional if I just put another random button on there.

I love to turn up the collar and pretend I'm in a film noire.  The coat is at least 30 years old.  Does that make it vintage?

He's got some more old coats so perhaps this isn't my last alteration.