An October "T"

 What an ammmmmazing fall we are having!!!!  I have said this before, but it bares repeating....I am a huge fall fan!  It is my favorite time of the year, especially here on the west coast of Michigan.  The orchards are full of apples, the wineries are busy putting up the next vintage, the days are warm and sunny and the nights are cool and perfect for sleeping.  Ahhhhhhhhhh!  This fall has been exceptionally warm.  I am trying to decide if this is always how it is here and I have just never been around for it, or if indeed it is actually warmer than usual.  I guess I will have to experience a few more falls to really figure it out.  Anyway, it is glorious!

I was thinking my October white shirt would be something wooly and cozy, but it has been very summery and a new white T-shirt seemed much more appropriate.  So out came the linen...again!  I also grabbed some of the lace that I did not use for my Isabel Marant project.  I am not sure when I will use it all up!

The shirt is really simple but figuring out how to insert the lace between the lower linen and the upper sheer linen was just enough of a challenge to keep it interesting.  I am pleased with the outcome and know it will be in heavy rotation until the cold weather finally settles in.

I also tried a new pattern from Merchant and Mills this month.  It's called The Ellsworth Shirt.  A sewing buddy and I made it together and it was such a fun day.  It ended up being a looong day, but there was a lot of chatting along the way.  We are going to have to call each other before showing up at the same party!

I liked the way the pattern came out so much that I immediately made another one.  I love the Japanese cotton I used from Marcy Tilton's website and I think it looks great in the pattern...but...it doesn't have the weight of the polk-a-dot linen so it doesn't hang quite as well.  The sleeve length is also and inch shorter which puts the sleeve placket right at my elbow.  I'm not quite sure how that happened because I cut it the same as the first one.  It might be that the linen is just enough stretchier that it hangs longer.  In any case I like that length better.   It is always interesting how much the fabric influences the outcome. You would think these two shirts would be pretty much identical, but I know I will reach for the first one more often.

The fabric for the second round was only 45" wide so I ended up putting a center back seam to get the pattern to work.  I also used a coordinating cotton to line the cuffs, collar, placket and hem facings.  I might have been able to squeak out a few of those pieces, but I thought it looked more "intentional" if I did all of them with the second fabric.  I like the way it turned out.  

As I finished my October white shirt I pulled out all the shirts for the months I have been in Michigan.  I have a couple others in Florida that will add to the total.  It was kind of amazing to see them all together and realize how different they are from each other.  It is getting harder and harder to pick a favorite.  When I picked this challenge for myself I thought I might end up with a couple of shirts that I liked and the rest would be fun exercises, but not necessarily wardrobe staples.  I think I was mistaken!  I love them all!  I will have to decide whether my November shirt will be a Michigan shirt or a Florida shirt, since we will be heading out around Thanksgiving time.  

A White Shirt for a Chilly July

 Our move to our lake house has been full of ups and downs...there are 40 steps to the front door after all!!!!...But the most frustrating thing has been our lack of reliable internet connection.  I used to love the fact that we could not be 'connected' when we were using the house for a get away.  But now that we are here full time it has been more than frustrating.  I am sitting in the coffee shop trying to get the pictures that I want to share from my phone to my computer.  It completely baffles me why pictures I took this morning are already in my photos file, but the ones I took last week are still wandering around in the cloud somewhere.  😩 It will probably take a long phone call with one of my bright spark sons to get this figured out!  Whatever....

I have been sewing and loving my new machine and my new lofty studio, the blogging and sharing have not been as seamless (pun intended!)

Let me start with my July White Shirt.  I was thinking that it would be a very light, summery number, but we have been having an unusually cool season this year.  I put the linen and lawn aside and pulled out a sport fleece and made myself a hoodie!

I can't remember if I have ever drafted a hood before?????  I must have at some point, but my memory did not help me on this one.  I incorporated the neck opening with the hood and put a 'ribbing' of the same fabric around the edge to snug it up a bit.  I waited until it was almost done before deciding whether it needed a drawstring...it didn't!  Here is the pattern piece I drafted.  It looks like a puzzle, but it worked out well.  I hope I can remember it the next time I want a hood. 😏

I also made thumb holes.  You can see how I did it in this article that I did for Threads Insider.  It's my favorite way to make thumb openings. 

So that's July...done and dusted as my British son says!

The pants in the last picture are another pair of Closet Core joggers.  I am so smitten!  I made a little cropped cardigan to go with them and, with our cool summer, I have been wearing them both...a LOT!  I hacked my woven T-shirt pattern to make the cardigan.  I think I will be doing it again, it turned out to be a great layering piece.

And finally...I am forever the optimist and made myself a very summery, eyelet romper!  This may count as my "too cute for it's own good" outfit for 2021!  I mashed together the square vest that I used for my patchwork linen top and my Merchant and Mills Eve pants.  It worked out very smoothly.  Now I just need some warm days to try it out.  

The neck edge is a bias binding turned to the inside as a facing, but leaving about a quarter of an inch unturned.  I tucked it in every half inch to make the little scalloped edge.  I used a creamy colored pearl cotton and I like the little twinkle it gives.

I am hoping that we will soon be more connected to the rest of the world and I can do a bit better at sharing my new sewing space and projects.  With all of the moving and shaking that has been going on for the past several months, I am sooooo glad that I have had a place to sew.  It has always been my "get away from it all" place and I have sure appreciated being able to tune out for a few hours now and then.  

I am also hoping that I will be making a much lighter white shirt in August....jeez!

A New Baby (Lock)

This is a quick round up of a few random projects that I used to christen my new sewing machine!  Yeah!

I have had a Brother sewing machine at our lake house for 12 years.  Because I never did much sewing here it was fine.  But as I started using it with more substantial projects in mind, it just wasn't up to the job.  Last fall I had considered a new machine for Florida, but ended up taking my Janome to have there.  While I was shopping around I realized that I have had 4 different machines over the years with the whole shebang!  Monster embroidery units that I have never even taken out of their boxes!!!!!  I didn't want to do that again.  

My advise to people when they ask me what machine they should buy is always to get what you need and a smidge more to grow into.  Know the dealer.  And know where you will have it serviced.  I finally took my own advice!  I got a really lovely Baby Lock machine...sans embroidery, from the local dealer who has a service department right here!  Isn't she a beaut!

So far I am really, really pleased with my choice.  (Can you see me taking the picture in the side panel😜?)  I have had two different Baby Lock sergers that I have loved so I didn't go in completely blind.  It is very intuitive for the way I sew, so it has been a very smooth transition.  The dealer does have owner classes that I will definitely take to get the bells and whistles figured out.  But the basics have been easy to get used to.  So what have I been practicing on...?

I had a linen bias cut dress that I liked but didn't really wear.  I scrutinized it and realized that the fabric is a bit heavy, it is a decorator print, and the sleeves were just not right.  I decided I could take them out and make the dress cooler to wear and eliminate the whole sleeve issue!  

When I looked at this picture I was horrified!!!  Had I really worn this out in public!?!  The big brown leaf with the spot in the middle in exactly the WRONG place....OMG!  I was about to scrap the whole thing!!!  When I calmed down I realized that my dress form is a bit 'perkier' than I am at this point so when I put the dress on it wasn't as much of an issue.  Whew!

I took the sleeves off...and added a bit of elastic to the back waist seam to pull it in a bit, which gives it a little more definition at the waist.  Much better.  I'm much happier with the dress and think it will come out of the closet this summer, finally.

The second project I tackled was another pair of Merchant and Mills Eve pants.  I love this pattern!  I made them in a mid weight army green linen.  I love linen!  What can I say...they are great!

I do make one major modification to the pattern when I make it...it doesn't have pockets!  What!?  Right?!  So I incorporate slant pockets and hide the opening in the left hand pocket bag.  The original pattern calls for a side seam zipper, but because the opening is hidden in the pocket, I don't even bother with a zipper.  The button at the waistband moves forward a bit and I like making it a bit of a feature.

...And the last little project in this round up is a patchy linen top.  I did mention that I love linen didn't I?

and, yes, I had all these bits and bobs of linen scraps in my stash!  I lined it with a very soft Liberty of London lawn so it is still very light weight.  

...and I love my new buttonhole foot!

Now that I have eased into a few simple projects, I will see if I can get out of second gear over the next month and try out some of the other features of my new Baby...Baby Lock!

2020 in the Rearview Mirror...Whew!

I have been noticing that many folks on Instagram or in their blogs have been doing a bit of 2020 review.  Now, I am not too excited about looking too closely at the year from you-know-where, but I did do some sewing and a little stock taking in that area is always interesting.  I find that each year there are a few themes that pop up.  Some are things that I want to remember and keep, others are, well, meh?  So here are a few observations from the past year...

My love affair with Merchant and Mills was only enhanced by a wonderful week long workshop in adorable Rye, England.  I didn't know it at the time of course, but it would be the last time in 2020 that I actually spent time with anyone except my husband!!!!  (I do have to say how incredibly fortunate I am to have someone that, even after 34 years, I still am glad to hang out with...even though this year has definitely tested those limits.😬)

The best part of any workshop for me is getting to see things in person.  I was very surprised by the patterns I actually chose to make.  They were definitely not the ones I would have expected and I am so happy that I tried them I have used all of them several times since bringing them home to the US.

One of the themes that has dominated the past several years has been BAGS!  You may be happy to hear that the bag trend waned a bit in 2020.  Maybe since I was not going anywhere that required packing, new bags were not top of mind.  I did make the first prototype of a fold over messenger style bag/backpack.  I think it will need a few more trial balloons before it is ready for primetime.  I am hoping that I will need a new backpack in the near future!

I had a last hurrah for coats.  I love making coats, wearing coats, the fabrics that coats are made from, the engineering of coats...all things coats, BUT, I will be living in perpetual summer and coats will not be an important staple of my wardrobe anymore.  So, as I was sorting through my stash and figuring out which pieces would make the cut into my new wardrobe future, there were a couple of pieces that I just had to make, whether or not they ever get worn other than for the pictures in this blog!

The fabric for this coat is a bit of a mystery.  Besides the fact that I can't remember where it came from, I also have no idea what its fiber content is.  It is a chunky sweater knit on one side and has a faux leather look finish on the other side.  Whatever it is I had fun making it into what my Mom would call a "carcoat."  I think that meant that the length of the coat was such that it didn't get caught in the car door when you closed it!  I don't know with this one since it hasn't even been in the car!  

 

My oiled canvas mack!  THIS may be my favorite make of the year, and definitely in the top ten of all times.  The fabric is of course from my first trip to Merchant and Mills.  The pattern is a hack of the one that I tried out during the workshop and the closures came from a marine hardware store in the middle of London.  I may have to take some treks to Wales so I can wander around in the rain!  (Let's hope that can happen soon.)

Along with coats, robes made several appearances in my sewing room this year.  I made one for myself from another lovely linen waffle weave from M&M.  I used the selvedges as the front edge finishes and made as few cuts as possible to shape the neck and shoulders.  I was so pleased with it that I made another version in a light weight linen and then I decided to make a whole pile of them for all of my peeps for Christmas!  What else do you send people who haven't been out of the house in nine months?😫

There were a few projects that really helped me cope with all of the crazy that is swirling around us.  They came at different times and seemed to fill a creative or emotional need.  

In, what Dave Barry in his 2020 Review calls, "Marpril" I, like the rest of the world, was reeling each day as the news or the rumors bombarded me with dread and hopelessness.  Any spark of creativity was totally extinguished and the idea of sewing seemed so trivial.  I did realize that my sewing is what has sustained me through other trying times. (although I have to admit to being lucky that there haven't been many and none can compare to 2020).  When I finally sat down at my sewing machine I just started to stitch.  I wasn't sure what would appear...it turned out to be a hat...of sorts.  It wasn't much to look at, but making it felt doable, and familiar and was what I needed. (BTW, if you haven't read the Dave Barry piece, do)

I of course made my contribution to the mask inventory.  It was harder than I thought to make them.  I knew they were needed, but I so wanted it not to be the case.  I never expected that they would become a wardrobe staple for all of us.

Just as we went into hiding, I had started a project for Threads Insider.  It was a challenge to take a men's suit and reimagine it into a new garment.  I put it aside and didn't get back to it until later in the summer and at that point it was the perfect puzzle to keep my mind from complete mush!  (I had also put together way too many jigsaw puzzles and was ready for another distraction.)

I spent a fair amount of time sorting and organizing my sewing room not only because it was SOMETHING to do, but also anticipating our move to new houses.  I came across a huge linen tablecloth that had been one of my mother in law's wedding gifts.  I had saved it thinking that it would be a tablecloth on one of my tables at some point...that has become a very remote possibility, but it sure looked like 'fabric' when it came out of the trunk this year.  I made two dresses, one for me and one for my sister in law...and still squeaked out a top.  I never imagined the emotional connection that working with that tablecloth made for me.  Again, right project, perfect timing.

Along with my sewing projects I found myself spending a lot of my time in the kitchen, which is not my usual thing.  By mid June I realized that I had not cooked that many days in a row...ever!!!!  I desperately needed some inspiration in the realm of meal planning!  

We had been planning a lovely trip to France this summer which was obviously not going to happen.  I decided that we should take a virtual trip to France.  (I have since heard people refer to this as a "Fake-cation!")  I collected several Provencal recipes and looked for things that we could do that were 'safe.'  We watched french movies,  did a Matisse jigsaw, visited a lavender farm near us, baked french bread, and of course consumed a fair amount of wine!  I was surprised how much it helped to have new recipes to try and things to do.  So when we got back from virtual France we took a virtual road trip and "visited" 15 different US states and tried their signature foods!  I am still enjoying some of the new recipes that I discovered on our fake-cations.

After months of wondering if we would ever get to our new home in Key West, we decided to make the trip.  When we finally got ready to pack the car, it was the sewing machines and the cat that made the cut!  It was definitely not the most enjoyable road trip we have ever taken, but we made it and are now busy getting to know our new place.  It will take some time, since knocking on the neighbors doors and introducing ourselves is not on.  But I'm hopeful that it will be possible very soon.  I am also busy planning and collecting things for my new sewing space which I can't wait to share.  It feels like the perfect way to start a new year.

Looking over the things that I made this past year makes me realize, again, just how NOT normal 2020 was.  My projects seemed random and, for as much time as I spent at home, relatively few.  Moving into 2021 I am cautiously optimistic that we might find more balance and stability, but I am not going to make any plans just yet.  Staying put in our new house and preparing for when we might again welcome visitors is about as far as I am willing to go at the moment.
 

I am so grateful for the community of sewing folks that are part of my life.  It has not only been the actual sewing that has kept me going, but the amazing people who choose to create with scissors and cloth.  Being able to "zoom in" with sewing friends and virtually visit with sewing people all over the world is a true bright spot this past year.  It is also humbling to be part of a group that has rallied their talents in a time when there is so much need.  I thank you, and wish you a new year filled with hope....and sewing!