Movin' On Up and a May White Shirt

My May white shirt is finally done!  We will ignore the fact that it was actually made in June and move on.  May was spent loading boxes and laundry baskets of stuff from our home of 25 years into the car and carting an hour to our summertime house that is now our everyday house, in preparation for selling the aforementioned 25 year home!  The run-on sentence is kind of how the whole process felt.  What are we doing today?...loading the car and carting stuff up 40 steps...what about tomorrow? ...loading the car and carting stuff up 40 steps!!!!  If you think I'm kidding about the steps...

Anyway, since my sewing stuff spent the month of May in boxes and laundry baskets I did not have a chance to make my May white shirt, so we will pretend that it happened in May and hope I can get the June installment in books before July!

Before I get to my shirt, let me show you my new sewing 'cupboard.'  As part of our move to our former summer cottage, now everyday house, I said good bye to my sewing room and moved into a large closet on the third floor.  The loft room was planned as a multipurpose room so some days it's my sewing room and other times it is the yoga studio, or an office.  So all of my sewing paraphernalia is now on wheels and rolls neatly into the closet when I finish working.  I am liking the discipline of cleaning up after a project and starting with a clean slate.  It seems to make sense in my new downsized lifestyle.

Good bye old sewing room....

Hello new sewing cupboard...everything folds and rolls...

When it's time to sew, my treetop loft becomes a lovely sewing oasis...

At the end of a project, it all folds back into the cupboard to make space for whatever comes next...

So that is where my May (ahem...June) white shirt happened!

I really liked the Closet Core patterns that I tried in March so I got them out again.  My plan was to make the sweatshirt, but with a little wiggling I managed to get a pair of shorts and a tank top as well.  I got a really lovely rayon French terry in a creamy white and a matching rib knit for the bands.  It is soooo luxurious.  It has a bit of sheen and amazing drape, I feel very special when I wear it.

The tank top is a self drafted pattern.  Basically, I cut arm holes into the sides of the circular ribbing fabric.  It was a bit of an experiment, but I am happy with the results.  I like the neckline of the tank under  the sweatshirt which has quite an open neck edge.

The patterns are quite oversized and while I like my new shirt and pants, I think I might go down a size or even two for the next go round with these patterns.  They feel a bit overwhelming!  I really like the way the pockets and side seams are done on the pants.  It was a bit of a head scratcher the first time, but once I figured it out, it was very slick.  I'm not sure how many "lounge" outfits I'm going to need now that we are coming our of Covid hibernation, but for now I am loving these cozy pieces.  ...on to June!

Hello Lounge Lizard!

 I finally succumbed!  I have been trying desperately to hold onto some semblance of publicly acceptable clothing, maybe thinking that I might suddenly need to go somewhere!? 😆 But when I saw the latest pattern introduction from Closet Core I dove straight into the "loungewear" pool.  Who was I kidding anyway!  I have been wearing the same yoga pants and tank top  everyday and frankly, could use some newer, nicer versions.  So when I saw they were available, AND in a sale bundle, I ordered them up!  I had also ordered a few yards of a really nice light weight fleece from Emma One Sock a few weeks ago with nothing planned for it, and thought it would be perfect for the hoodie and joggers.  (Joggers is the new name for what I wore in high school and called "sweatpants," much cuter name and allows an old lady to feel cool and with it! or 'dope'?!)

Since most patterns that I have used need quite a bit of manipulating to get the fit right for my body, my usual first step is to make a 'trial balloon' hoping it will be a wearable muslin.  More often it becomes a chopped up mess of alterations.  I didn't have another piece of fleece to play around with so I decided I would just go for it and if I needed to get more fabric, well, I knew where it had come from!  

I checked out the pattern measurements and figured I would make a size 10 for the joggers and, because the sweatshirt was pretty generously sized, a size 8 for the top.  I did add my normal 3" to the length of the sleeves and the pants, but other than that I cut them straight out of the envelop, with my fingers tightly crossed.  

I realized as I was laying out the pattern pieces that, if I was very miserly, I might just be able to get the shorts cut out as well.  Challenge accepted!  I think I spent longer wiggling pieces around than I did sewing them up!  But, with a few other adjustments, I managed to get the hoodie, the joggers AND the shorts!  How...?

I had already decided I wanted to add a ribbing to the edge of the hood.  The pattern suggests turning the edge under, but I thought a ribbing would give it a bit of tension to keep it from falling too open.  I was thinking I would just use a strip of the fleece, but now that I was in conservation mode, I went looking around for something else to use.  The only thing I had on hand was a slate gray knit, but it looked great with the fleece.  Once I introduced the second fabric I used it for the waistband of the shorts and trimmed the pockets of the hoodie and the shorts so it became a "design detail." (if you do something 3 times it's a design detail not a mistake!)  I also cut the pocket bags out of a light weight linen.  It actually worked really well.  It reduced the bulk of the pockets and stabilized them at the same time.  I reduced the pocket bulk some more on the shorts  by only making the back pocket bag and stitching it through the outside of the fronts.  And finally, I ended up piecing the back yoke of the hoodie.  I knew I would have to piece somewhere and figured the yoke would be under the hood most of the time.  I lined the yoke with a piece of an old T-shirt to keep all the seams from being too irritating across my shoulders.  As I was panning and making all these fussy maneuvers I kept thinking, "this is a lot of work for something that might end up a chopped up mess!"  

The piecing on the yoke is hard to see from the outside, which was kind of the point!

Well, you can see by the lack of in-progress pictures that I got carried away...again...and forgot to take one photo.  But, I did manage a few of the completed garments, which worked out to be amazing!  I am more than pleased and surprised at how well they fit and look.  I didn't even have to adjust the crotch curve!!!

Whoa!  Where'd those crazy yellow duck shoes come from?!

Now I am wondering why it took me so long to embrace the loungewear trend...but I think there will be more lounge lizarding in my future.   And some more Closet Core patterns as well. 😉

Win-win...but not Winter!

I love fall!  I love the cool, crisp air.  I love watching the colors move through their journey from green to yellow and gold, to crimson and rust.  I love the soups and spices that happen this time of year.  The only part that I don't love is knowing that for the next several months I will be battling icy sidewalks, snowdrifts, power outages and arctic windchills.  I know some people love the snow, but as my healing time has lengthened, I am much more worried about tumbling than I used to be.  Cold and snow are parts of the Michigan seasons that I will be glad to watch from a distance.  But for now, I am loving the weather!

Having lived with four seasons all my life, I can't quite wrap my little brain around 'no cold.'  I have been making a new summer wardrobe to have in my new place, but this time of year I am just itching to break out the wool!  To quell the urge I hauled out a cotton jersey that has a mock quilting pattern.  It's kind of a mateliasse kind of thing.  It looks warmer than it is.  I thought it would make a great sweatshirt for the few cool nights that might crop up.  But I didn't want a plain 'ol sweatshirt...I wanted a more 'designery' sweatshirt.  I did some trolling around on Pinterest (you can see some of my finds to the right ->) to see what kind of details might up the cache of my sweatshirt.

I settled on a cropped style with some kind of gathered hem.  As a starting point, I pulled out my tried and true Tabula Rasa pattern.  As I have said before, it seems to cover a huge range of styles and I know it will fit the way I like when I'm finished.  I cut out the main pieces and left them long while I pondered how to finish the hem.  This is just the kind of project I love.  No definite plan, just a sketchy idea and a few detail options to get me going.  I can always hear Diane Ericson in my head, "do the part you know!"

This is also the kind of project that I get caught up in and forget about taking photos of the process.  Ooops! 

I wanted those Kangaroo pouchy front pockets that you get on sweatshirts, but a bit more 'elegant.'  (If "elegant" is a word that you can use to describe a sweatshirt?!)  Tabula Rasa side seams are the perfect place to set in pockets and I decided to line the shirt with a very light weight bamboo knit which meant I could use it for the inside of my pockets by just stitching through from the front.  The seams of the pattern are forward from the actual side of the body so the pocket placement is really ideal for getting your hands in and out easily.

I used the side panel underarm seam as my guide and extended my topstitching to complete the pocket bag.  A little hard to see with all the quilting lines...

I cropped the front and let the back hem hang a bit longer and used the hem allowance to make a casing for a half drawstring across the front.  Again the side seam placement meant the detail was a bit forward which I like.

Serendipity prevailed again when I realized that I could leave the sleeve length and use the lining to make  cuffs.  I love extra long sleeves on cool morning walks to keep my fingers warm!  

One thought that I played with was putting a drawstring at the neck as well.  I made a casing by wrapping a strip of the lining fabric over the neck edge and leaving a 2" space at the center front.  When I got the drawstring in place it was just one thing too many, so I took it out.  When I showed my astute husband my new sweatshirt outfit his comment was, "the neck doesn't look finished."  Rats!  I thought I might be able to sneak it by, but he was right.  He also asked if I was channeling Coco Chanel...?  He thought the short quilted top and the short, straight skirt were very Chanel-esque.  Hmmm...That gave me a new idea for the neckline...thanks Honey!

I created a 1960's-ish collar using a strip of the quilted knit.  Much better.  (and the hubby thought so, too!)

The skirt was a bit of an after thought.  I had exactly a skirt length of fabric left...even the width was right.  I didn't even have to cut anything, just zip up a back seam and put in some elastic.  You can see the wide elastic top in this picture....I was trying to get a twig off the string of lights that hangs over the outside table.  Thanks again Honey!

I really wasn't thinking I was going to end up with a little Chanel Sweat-Suit, but there you go!  It may not make the Paris runways but it is very comfy, cozy and hopefully, a useful wardrobe addition.  AND, a really fun project!  Win-win!

In the Merry Month of "MeMadeMay"

For several years now I have been curious about the May tradition among sewist called "MeMadeMay."   I haven't participated, (it requires advanced skills, like taking selfies!), but I do like the idea of encouraging more garment making.  And it's fun to see how other people are creating and wearing their own wardrobes.

I figured it wouldn't be such a big deal since I make and wear most of my clothing.  I decided I would try it.  Now, I didn't actually post anything anywhere...by 'try it,' I mean that I wore something everyday in May that I had created, and took a selfie to document my progress.   I really didn't think it would be difficult, but it surprised me in several ways.

Here's what I learned in the Merry Month of May!

1.  I am not very good at 'selfie!'
This was not a new discovery.  One of my thoughts about participating in MeMadeMay was that maybe it would help me practice taking selfies and I'd get better at it.  Not so much, as demonstrated by my 31 tries. (and these are the BEST tries!!!! 😝)

2.  Can you say "mud colors?"

After seeing these pictures all together there is no doubt that I have a mud colored palette.  Again, this is not new information, but it was so striking to see it all in one go.  Even looking in my closet really didn't have the same impact.  Not sure how these guys got in there?

3.  May was way too wet and cold!!!!!

Each day I kept thinking that I would be able to get into some of my summery pieces, but then the mercury would plummet and I'd reach for the sweaters and long pants!  By the last few days I did get to wear a few of my lighter weight things, but even then, I was taking off my sweaters to take the pictures and then putting them right back on again!

4.  Pants!  Who knew?

I have made way more of my pants than I realized.  I was quite surprised by how many times the MeMade part of my outfit was the bottoms.  

5.  Not just sewing needles...

I have some favorite knitted pieces.  I have been knitting more in the last several years and have gotten to the point that I will actually wear some of my hand knit pieces out of the house!  One sweater in particular was just the right weight for this blustery May.

6.  I do love me some linen!

Yes I do!  Any weight, bottoms and tops, plain and fancy....if it's linen I'm all in.

7.  ✌

"V" necks seem to be my neckline of choice.  

8.  Accessorize!

There were a few days that the only thing I had made were my accessories.  

Finally....it was tougher than I expected.  So much of what I have in my closet I have made, I was really surprised that I had to think about what to wear each day.  There was one day that I realized that I hadn't worn anything that I created until I got ready for bed...yes, I had made my PJ pants! Whew!

I'm really glad that I tried it.  I do think it has helped me hone in a bit on what I really wear and what types of garments are practical for my life.  There are lots of things that I like to make...but not all of them find their way into my wearing rotation.  I think I might try this again in the fall to see what my wintery preferences are.  It's not necessarily what I thought it would be.

So...what did I wear on the first of June????  My niece got married that day, so party clothes of course! (and that's my handsome son in his party duds!  what fun!) ....and, yes, I did make both my skirt and my top!  Score!