Winter Sunshine Finished

I'm finished with the first Jacket of the Month going on at Stitchers Guild.  Yay!  The fabric is wool crepe, in a color called "Winter Sunshine", from GorgeousFabrics.  I liked the color's name, so decided to name my jacket the same.   The pattern is an OOP, M 5711.  I love this pattern.  It has great details.



I've posted previously about the details and construction of this jacket.  It went together beautifully.  I will make it again.  Sometime.

Here's some photos.

All it needs is a good press, which it will get when I'm in the mood.  Or, I'll send it out.   Now, on to #2!

Ready, Set, Sew!!

Fabric from GorgeousFabrics arrived today!  Winter Sunshine wool crepe and a yellow/black/white stripe lining  to go with it.

I made a muslin for M5711.  This pattern was very well drafted.  Everything fit together perfectly. 

Front and back:

Squared armsythe.

Dropped sleeve with a pleat:

I tried Pam's method of shrinking the wool crepe by putting it in the dryer with hot, wet towels.  There was no shrinkage. Wool crepe should shrink quite a bit .  So, tomorrow I will begin the laborious task of wet-ironing it.  All that steam around my middle age self is going to hot me up but good.  Not to mention that I have excessively curly/frizzy hair even in a totally dry place.  Still, it has to be done..

I'll probably underline with batiste.  That's in the dryer now.  More ironing.  Once that's done, the fun begins on Jacket #1 of 12!

It's Not Easy Being Green

Thank you for your good wishes.  I'm feeling much better and catching up with everything I didn't do for three weeks like housework, laundry and ironing.  Amazing how things can pile up.

I finished this jacket, tshirt and pants that I started a month ago. 

The jacket is M5941 in a loden/olive green houndstooth.   It's a loosely-woven upholstery fabric and lined with a polyester something.   This fabric ravels when you look at it and is unstable, so instead of struggling with buttonholes, I used covered snaps with buttons sewn on top.

The jacket facings and pants are dark loden green, and an olive t-shirt.  I made this jacket in black/white houndstooth last winter and enjoyed wearing it.   It's a good layering piece in cold weather.

I have this jacket , V8623, cut out and interfacing fused.

It's the same loden green fabric as my pants.  I made a muslin, and decided to change the sleeves a bit by adding a wide cuff.   I love the pleats on the back and the large collar.  It's a bit retro-looking.  Carolyn made it here, and Diana lengthened it and made it into a gorgeous raincoat.

For those in Michigan--one of the sewing clubs I belong to is having a day at Habermans this week.  Habermans has a program set up for us with demos, trunk shows and talks.  It's several hours with a lunch break. There will be about forty of us.  And of course the main event is--shopping!  If you've been in that store, you know I'm taking my BIG purse!

FO Photo

I wore this new short-sleeve jacket today.  It's casual and comfortable.  I enjoyed wearing it.

It is M5941.  I will make it again, maybe in a suitable spring fabric.

I bought gray lining and gray trim, but I don't know that I'm particularly satisfied with the trim.  Still, I can continue on the jacket as soon as I can get back in my sewing room .  I want the trim to go around the edges of the jacket, and make button loops with covered buttons. 

Waiting for the snow storm to hit MI tomorrow.  I have plenty of sewing lined up if I can't get out!

McCall 5941 Almost Done

This jacket is sooo near done.  I decided to put red decorative snaps down the front, but had only two.  I have ordered snaps from SnapSource to finish this cap-sleeve jacket.

The fabric is black/white wool houndstooth.  I made a few changes to the pattern.  I added red piping down the CF and on the collar.  I made two beautiful, perfect piped pockets, but when I basted them to the jacket, I didn't like them so off they came.   The pattern didn't call for a lining, but I prefer it lined.  Lining is red.

The major change to the pattern was shortening the length of the collar.  The original collar ends at the finished edge of the jacket, so thatt it can be worn standing up.  Here's how it actually should look:

But, I would never wear the collar up like that, and making it this way, if  the collar is worn down, the two ends of the collar overlap quite a bit.   Instead, I made the collar edges stop at CF.  The CF to the finished edge of the jacket is 2"--quite an extension.  I took 4" off the CB of the collar.  It worked out well, and the collar lays nicely now. 

I'll wear that jacket over a long-sleeve red Tshirt, which I made today.  I'll get a pic wearing it when I get the snaps finished.  This makes a nice layering piece, and would be a good transitional garment in between seasons.

More later. 

Patterns, Please

Not to let a pattern sale pass, after church I went to Jo's and bought a few McCalls and one Vogue pattern. After all, this is the last day of the sale!



Vogue1066 is that great pant pattern from Badgley Mischka that a couple of people have made recently. Tabs, decorative belt loops and channel stitched waistband set these pants apart from the ordinary. Doncha' just love Badgley Mischka?


M5894 is the latest of Palmer/Pletsch jeans patterns.
M5592is a flared leg jean pattern. I like the cropped length version. It seems I am trying to collect every jean pattern out there!


M56161 Palmer/Pletsch top pattern. Good tops to wear under suits. M5929 is a new blouse pattern. It features ruffles down the fronts, but what I especially like is the "v"neckline with a collar. I like the look of the neckline being open, rather than the standard closing at CF.


Also, I bought a bolt of muslin for all the fittings of these patterns!


And, that's it until the next pattern sale. I have a list of Butterick and Simplicity. Do not show me anything that I have to add to that list!


Hope everyone had a fabulous 4th !

Fabric and Patterns

What could be better? While I'm waiting on the red fabric to arrive for DD's jacket, I added a bit to my stash. As much as I complain about Jo's fabric selection, it's the only store within 60 miles of where I live, so I am forced to go there. Otherwise, I order online.

And, regardless of my complaints, I usually find a piece of fabric or two that make their way into my cart. Such was the case today.




The 3 bottom fabrics are from Jo's. There's a navy stripe rayon blend for a jacket and pants to match, a white poly and a navy for easy peasy throw-on type jackets, such as the CJ Inset Jacket. The rust colored floral at the top is rayon/lycra from Gorgeous Fabrics, and the poly/lycra leopard print is from Hancocks. All except the white are for fall garments.



I've been searching the pattern companies for a basic shell to wear under a suit jacket. I have a pattern for myself that I drafted, but really, I don't like drafting. I like to start with a pattern, and redesign it. There are very few basic little shell patterns. I bought 2 today. Barb posted about this Simplicity pattern. I had seen it when pattern looking online, but assumed it was a knit T, and skimmed right past it. Pays to actually read the description sometimes!

Between these two patterns, there are a lot of options. S8523 has a bust dart, and neckline variations, with or without sleeves. M2818 has a princess seam, front and back, neckline variations, with or without sleeves. The McCall pattern buttons down the back, which I love, and of course, could apply to the Simplicity pattern as well.

The jacket I'm going to make has a "v" shape neckline with a collar. I think a jewel neckline would look nice for the top that will be worn under that particular jacket. Anyway, I was tickled to get both of these patterns. No drafting. I can change these up however I want. Yay!

A Tale of Two Blouses

Thank you all for visiting my blog. I'm loving this blogging community. I learn a lot and laugh a lot. I also feel your frustrations, having had many myself. There are so few people who sew, that it's great to be able to share our skills and reach across the miles and oceans to each other. Everyone, regardless of their skill level, has something to bring to the table. We all learn from each other.

Sometimes, you just need some basics. Boring but necessary. I really need some blouses and pants. After my pants shopping experience, I know the only way I'm getting pants that fit will be to make them. Blouses are easier to buy, but I have a lot of blouse weight fabric in my stash that needs to be sewn.

This is my TNT blouse pattern. It's Palmer/Pletsch for McCall, number 3284. Plain blouse, nothing fancy. It is a semi-fitted blouse, darts front and back, roll collar. Easy sew.

I made one in an ivory/brown print. I have brown pants to wear with it. There's another one in the works that is a multi-color animal print. Here's the finished blouse, and a detail of how I

finish the inside of the rolled collar. There's several ways the collar can be finished. I like to bind the edge. It's easy, and makes a nice, clean finish.

When the animal print blouse is sewn, I'll probably work on a jacket. I have a pattern traced and altered, ready for a muslin.

There was no sewing going on here this weekend. I had my two grandsons, age 2 and 8 months for the night on Friday, and all day Saturday. I love having them, and sewing can wait. We delivered them to their parents Saturday evening, and had a Wii bowling party.

After church today, DH and I decided to go shopping, and came home with a Wii. To justify it, we bought Wii fit also, for exercise, you know. It's a health issue!

I wonder if there's a Wii sewing game? Maybe one that would solve all pant fitting problems, for instance. Speaking of that--I've been following the jeans sew-along at PR. There's some interesting problem solving going on over there.

Sewing is priority this week. Famous last words!