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.  

Is the Third Time Really a Charm?

This story starts a few years back....like, 5 years back....

I had a piece of decorator linen that was probably too big of a print to be a dress, but every now and then I get this urge to upholster myself and...well...there you go!  I made a dress!  It actually wasn't all that bad.  I cut it on the bias to give it a bit more shape and strategically placed the "too big" flowers so they didn't end up glaring out from inappropriate body parts...😲😳 

I added a tweedy linen hem to get it to maxi dress length and it was fine.  (can you hear the 'but' coming?)  BUT, I never wore it.  It was one of those garments that hung in the back of the closet and never found the right occasion.  I liked all the individual parts...the fabrics, the details, the colors, the design...but all together...meh.  

After it had hung in the closet, forlorn and forgotten for a few years, I thought maybe if it was a short dress I might actually wear it once in a while.  So I hauled it to the sewing room and whacked it off to knee length.  Obviously that was not the solution because it didn't even stay around long enough to get a picture!  I can't even remember where it ended up, but the short version didn't pass muster either.  

Fast forward to last week...

What do you suppose I found on an excursion into my linen scrap box?  Seriously?!  Yep, there was the chopped off hem!  OK, why not...I still liked the fabrics and colors and the ribbon detail I had done on the hem was quite nice. I hung it on my dress form, upside down...and doggone it if it didn't decide that it wanted to be a tank top!  Go figure.

Along with the hem I had enough scraps of the original fabric to make straps and just like that...a top!

Whether or not this third version ends up being THE ONE, it has been fun to keep reimagining it.  We'll see if the story continues....

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!

Remnants and Bargains

Just so you don't get the idea that I have completely fallen off the planet into the 'backpack twilight zone'......

...I have finished a couple of other projects....OK...so one of the other projects is a bag!  I guess I just can't help myself.

I was at the lake house and didn't have much in the way of projects, but I did have a couple of remnant pieces that I had picked up just because they looked like they should be together in something.  The something turned out to be a tote bag. 

...am I right?  The fabrics really do need to be together....and of course, I didn't have enough of either one to make the lining so I decided to have some fun....

I love the hot pink on the inside!  I used bias cut strips of a coordinating linen to make the straps and put some rivets at the pressure points to make them stronger.  Right now it is on probation as my knitting bag...we'll see...

Speaking of knitting 😉...We have a lovely Fiber Festival here the middle weekend of August and I get all inspired.   I figure I better finish the old projects before the shiny new ones suck up all the attention!  So sometime around the middle of August, I usually haul out the knitting projects that I started in the wintery months that got put aside for the summer.  I make one last stab at finishing them in time for the next round of wintery months.  If they don't make it, I figure I better just frog 'em and start again.

This year's UFO was an amazing alpaca cardigan that just needed one more sleeve...technically it still isn't finished, but I figure putting snaps on isn't technically knitting, so I'm counting it!  (I have yet to get a picture of it so that will have to wait as well.)  BUT...feeling all righteous about a finished project, I dove into another one right away....feeling even more righteous, because I was using stashed yarn!

My cardigan was a rather large project on small needles, I wanted an easy, fast, instant gratification type project.  Nothing that was going to hang around for too long.  Big yarn on big needles!!!!! 

I'm sure the yarn that I pulled out came from the sale basket in a darling little yarn shoppe somewhere, but heck if I can remember.  I'm making this assumption based on the red lines through the original prices and new, lower prices written in the same red ink, AND the fact that there were three colors of said bargain yarn, none of which was enough for a sweater.   The yarn was however, BIG.  And really soft and cozy.  A blend of wool, silk and cashmere, yum!  I watched a You Tube about "jogless color changing" and started knitting....I really didn't have much of a plan.  I just kept making decisions when I would run out of yarn...I am rather fond of the result!

Having finished a UFO and used up a wad of my stash yarn, I felt quite justified in loading up at the fiber festival!  ...and I made sure I will have enough to make a whole sweater this time!

Just Playin' Around

One of the big perks of retiring (which I did in 2016, so it's not really a new thing...) is being able to sew in the daytime!  For years I would grab sewing time whenever I could fit it in, and that usually meant late at night.  My obsession with 'mud colors' may come from the fact that I never saw colors in the light of day!  Having a leisurely afternoon in my sewing room has become one of my favorite pastimes.  And sometimes I even sew! 

Sewing when other people are awake, has also meant that "sewing with friends" is a possibility. 

          

Spending a day with a sewing buddy is 'sew' much fun.  (You knew the pun was just waiting to happen...) It also  gets my creativity charged up.  Sewing and creating for me is all about the process.  The opportunity to participate in someone else's creative process is an amazing privilege and always enriches and expands my own design thinking.  Brainstorming by definition is a group activity and bouncing around design alternatives and ways to get a whole garment out of 2/3 of a yard of fabric is totally energizing, and fun!  I have had several great play-dates this month that have really helped nudge me out of my winter sewing funk and jump start my spring and summer projects.

Factory Dress Play-date...
My love affair with Merchant and Mills continues, so when a friend saw my 'trial balloon' of the Factory Dress and fell in love too, it was a perfect sew together opportunity.  I had sewn up the pattern last fall to see if the shoulders and neckline were going to work for me.  I made up just the top part of the dress and ended up loving it as a linen T-shirt!  Our plan was to each make the actual dress version.

Just to make sure we had enough of a challenge, my friend chose a lovely soft linen, with a one directional plaid!!!  We spent a huge amount of time with the layout and cutting, which made all the difference in the end.  It's kind of like painting a room, the prep work takes 10 times longer than the actually painting.  The fabric was a perfect choice for the pattern and the effort to match the plaid really paid off. 

My fabric pick was a linen drapery fabric that I came across on a recent trip to Vogue Fabrics in Chicago.  I have been waiting for just the right fabric for the Factory Dress pattern and this was it!  It has enough body to hold up to the rolled sleeves and crisp collar, but still soft enough for the generous skirt.  If it didn't have in-seam pockets, I probably would have run in the side seams a bit, but that seemed like way too much work at the end of our Factory Dress day.  I slept on it and decided to pull in a bit of fullness at the waist by adding a little belt at the back.  I think I like it better than if I had actually taken in the sides.  If it ever gets to be summer here, I think this will be one of my go-to garments.

            

On the same Chicago outing, I had found a piece of linen that I thought would work for another Merchant and Mills pattern that I have been wanting to try. After our Factory Dress day I was on a roll and went ahead and made up the Ottoline Jacket.  It is designed with denim in mind so the heavier weight linen worked really well.   Another winner!

           

          

Sweatshirt Play-date....

A few weeks ago I worked out a pattern for a sweatshirt that I wrote about here.  The sleeves of the shirt have a generously cut armhole that is offset at the underarm.  Somewhere between a set-in and raglan sleeve.  I have a friend who has had her shoulder replaced and finds it difficult to get in and out of shirts that are too close at the underarm.  I thought she would really like this sweatshirt.  Yep!  It worked well for her....so another sew together opportunity was born.

We spent the day fitting the pattern and putting together a really cute navy and white striped version...which I totally forgot to get a picture of!!!  Never fear...my friend was so pleased with the pattern that she went home and whipped up a second one.  (she is really, really fast!)  Her version has a darling stand up collar with a drawstring and a front pocket.  She remembered to take a photo.

Sewing is so often a solitary activity.  I love it when sew together opportunities arise.  I am so grateful that I have friends who are willing to share their creativity with me.  I can't wait for my next play-date.

The Hills are Alive!

I can't figure it out....every year when this starts to happen in my garden I end up making some unexplainable springtime confection that usually involves too many colors (as one of my sewing buds pointed out!!!) maybe some gathering and often a bow or two!!! Yikes!  Maybe I still haven't gotten over the annual "Easter Sunday dress" shopping excursion.  (complete with matching shoes, hat and gloves!) .  Whatever it is, it happened again last Saturday!  I spent the whole day blissfully patterning and puttering away and sure enough...the 'too-cute-for-its-own-good' creation appeared on my dress form.  😳

This year the devilish delight took the form of an apron dress!  As pointed out by said sewing bud, "it isn't as 'colorful' as previous spring frocks."  I think I will call that progress!  

I have been rather fascinated for the last little while with 'working garments.'  The patterns that I have been studying from Merchant and Mills are the prime example.  They take their cues from factory uniforms or denim basics and I love the usefulness and simple elegance of the garments.  I have been saving apron and pinafore pictures on a Pinterest board for a while now and decided the time was right.  

          

I also had a length of soft rumpled linen drapery fabric (think Sound of Music children on an alp!) that has been looking for a project.  

          

Recently, linen has been popular again for upholstery and draperies.  Yay, for the linen loving sewists!  I have been finding really nice linens and linen/cotton blends lurking in the home dec departments.  I am always careful to check and make sure that the contents of the fabrics are actually linen and/or cotton, and not an unpronounceable combination of chemicals.    I usually wash them several times to soften them up and get that nice rumpled affect that I associate with comfortable linen clothes.  This particular piece was on a remnant table so I am not totally convinced that it is 100% linen, but after a few rounds in the washer and dryer it was very soft and acceptable!

As I started the project it became clear that the pockets were taking the lead!  When I figured this out I realized that the fact that I was working with a minimum of pattern repeats would not be a problem.  Sticking pockets everywhere was going to cover up any attempt at pattern matching anyway, so I just cut right in, throwing matching to the wind.

Here's the finished too-cute-for-its-own-good apron....

          

I did find a greenish T shirt that looks OK, but maybe a bit too matchy-matchy?????  I kind of like the ivory top with it....

          

All the pockets were applied to the outside as patch-type pockets and I had fun figuring out the back strap connection.  I wanted it to be adjustable.  ...I guess there are a couple of 'bow-ish' details!😏

Welcome Spring!  I am ready to go, ...as soon as I learn how to yodel!!!  Do, re, mi!!!!