Finally got some sewing in for me – found a lovely marimekko-esque inspired print at my local fabric store, and used Kwiksew 3372 for the pattern.
And if you couldn’t see the print clearly enough – the girlie has you covered!
I wish I could wear skirts at work, but that is not a possibility in our plant.
I was sewing up a storm before our trip to the Porcupine Mountains.
Up first a variation of Kwiksew 3467. I made it short sleeved, shortened the neck facing to snug it up, added about 1/2″ to either side, and extended the length 7″ to make a dress out of the tunic.
The first one I sewed was in a thin bamboo lycra knit in a pale green. Let me stress the thin and the pale here – both features make it a fashion don’t. It was in serious need of dye job. I dyed it a lovely bright green, but failed to remember to filter the green before the dip dye. Note to self – bright green ALWAYS needs a filter job to prevent blue spots when dip dying! Insert headsmack here. I ended up with spots in places that immediately remanded it to the pajama stack and not suitable for photographs.
Never fear, momma’s personal fabric store (aka stash city) to the rescue!
I had a lovely piece of bright lime green cotton lycra, and made the pattern over again:
With the learning curve gone, it only took about 2 hours to make… I LOVE how the dart is rotated to the center, and how it fits a big busted girl just right! I think this pattern is a keeper!
Then I sewed up some lovely longer cut gauchos with the nicest waistband ever! Perfect for festival wear, I used Kwiksew 3384 and a thick piece of black cotton lycra from my stash city.
I traced it straight out of the envelope, and made no height adjustments. I admit that while the waist fits well, I am swimming in the volume of fabric in the length… But they don’t fall down with the added fabrics – the added elastic in the top band really helps! Next time, I need to pull a good 3 inches before cutting!
With a nice small dent made in the cotton lycra bin, I may need to go on a quest and find more nice fabrics to make a winter’s worth of tunics.
Sewing is my therapy – when I’m stressed it is cheaper than a therapist, and someone gets something nice to boot… I hadn’t done nearly enough sewing of late, and this was long overdue.
This week it is a swim wardrobe for the Glitter Glue Princess. I used two patterns for this from Kwiksew – #’s 2889, the ever present scuba top, and the new 3605. This is the most mature swimsuit I’ve ever made for her, and at least she let me make it – she is at an age where my sewing isn’t nearly as cool as it used to be. But, if she selects the pattern and the fabric it is alright, right?
I used size 10 for all pieces but the tankini top – it is a size 8, but lengthened to a 12. If making this pattern be warned of the sizing and gathering on the chest. Going down 1 size did help, else it would have been a gaping mess.
Another tip – use the triple zigzag on your regular sewing machine to do the edge on the triangles – there is just too much stretch and too much bulk at the top where the strap is for it to come out cleanly using a cover stitch, and I had to remake these as I got a hole in the fabric when pulling out the stitching.
She was mildly offput by me wanting to put this on the blog, so I left off her head per her request (as IF it will really make a difference 
).
When they say the skirt is short, they meant it! I added an edge with trim to make it longer, but seriously, it could use a wee bit more on the pattern. Just extend the curve of the hem down a few inches as needed, but keep the curve of the hem in the same shape.
I fully lined the front of the scuba shirt – can you think of a sentence that has light blue and see through in it? The other two pieces are lined in all the right places as well.
And of course, the requisite hula pose if forced to model swimwear in public:
After this, I’ve got to make Mr. S another Gandalf Murphy shirt for Blissfest next month.
This sew and tell is a bit overdue, as I took the pictures a while back, but later is better than never…
The Glitter Glue Princess wanted a fleece vest. But not just any old vest – she wanted a sleek sophisticated vest, “like skiers wear”. No vest pattern in the girls section was acceptable – too fluffy in the belly, why is there elastic around the bottom, etc, etc. Exasperated, I sat her down at a pattern book, and told her to find one that would work, be it a boys pattern or a girls pattern. Well… She found one in the women’s patterns instead. She picked Kwiksew 3453 as the very vest she absolutely had to have – the pockets were perfect and she loved the shape.
Umm… o.k… I believe I have created a fit snob….
She’s a few inches short of fitting in an extra small women’s pattern, no matter how big her feet are. (See that post below.)
After major modifications and miniaturizations, like taking a total of 4 inches out of the torso, taking in the center back, reducing the bust, and reshaping the armholes (!!!), I finished with this:
After all the redrafting, I’d have been better off trying it in my computerized pattern drafting software to start.
She just informed me she wants another, so I think I will try that next time…
Yay, sewing for me. This post is a bit overdue, but I just got pictures taken.
I sewed Kwiksew 3459. The pattern is extremely easy – front, back and buttonhole stabilizer. The collar is a bit tricky if you fly blind without reading the instructions – I sewed the seam in the collar facing out as I was following the lines of the back seam the first time.
The first version is in hot pink Malden Mills 200 fleece. While it is very nice, and doesn’t look like your standard fleecey jacket, it seemed a bit, ummm, short in length for those of us over the age of 30. Seeing how clean the line of the front was, I was hesitant to put the pattern’s button in it. See below:
For me as the wearer, I’d prefer my jackets to end a bit more longer. While not evident in the picture, the uncomfortable part of this as the wearer is that my bustline makes the bottom of the jacket stick out and not lie flush with the body. So, I made a modification – extended the length a generous 3.5″, and used the hooded version of the pattern for the following:
I prefer this one, because it feels more like a cropped jacket while I am wearing it, and the bottom DOES lie more snugly against me as I wear it. At least now, I can stay warm at work and look at least a wee bit fashionable.
What I like most about this pattern is that it gives the impression of a boiled wool shrug, without the wool! (I’m allergic.)
I have plans for a third, in a mid weight grey fleece, and this time, I’ll put the button on it…
