Little Black Cardi

I want to thank all of you for your concern and good wishes about my eye surgery and resulting problem.  My eye has healed and I'm ready for another surgery next week.  Ready is probably not the right word. Reconciled.  Because of the way the anesthetic stays with me, I'll have two days that are worry free.  I'll be totally happy! Giddy.  Stupid.

I have a black knit fabric that has black, raised, textured flowers.  It's thin.  I bought it for a pattern that ended up being a wrong choice.  So today, I made my old standby cardi.  It's my "go to" thing when I want to sew but don't want to have to think about it or figure anything out.  Lazy sewing.  The fabric was perfect for it and it was quick and easy.  Painless.

The last pattern sale at Jos I bought these patterns.

I like the lines on the McCall outerwear jacket.  It has a saddle shoulder--something you don't seem often.  And the See&Sew coat has a cute, full back.  Who knows when or if they will get made.  I think of my patterns as a collection, and truly, how many of us actually sew all the patterns we have?  Still, they are comforting, aren't they? Especially when they are on sale so inexpensive.

I have traced and altered the Cutting Line Designs HeartsAFlutter overblouse.  I believe Shams may have made it so I'll have to check her blog and PR to find it.  I know it runs very large, so I used the finished garment measurements, which is what I always do, anyway.  That's on the agenda for tomorrow.

T-Shirt Time

We are home from the hospital, and celebrating the rest of the holiday weekend very quietly. Thank you for all your good wishes. DH is doing well right now.

Here's my latest sewing project- dark denim jeans, and a T-shirt. Every spring, I make Tshirts. That's what I live in all summer, and by the end of the season, they usually look worn and need replacing. The cotton knit of this T was free from the grab table at one of my sewing clubs. I see my face is all scrunched up from looking into the sun. Great!

The pattern I use is an old Stretch and Sew pattern, circa 1978. I've restyled it over and over again. I scooped out the neckline on this one and bound it. I made two others, and have fabric for more.
I've searched for cotton knits, and found these at http://www.thefabricfairy.com/ There are 500+ cotton and cotton/lycra knit fabrics on that site. Very quick service. These arrived 3 days after ordering. They are very good quality-not thin and wimpy. These washed beautifully and held their shape. . The company included a nice note with a discount toward the next purchase. I'm very pleased with Fabric Fairy and will order from them again.

Jersey has a pesky habit of curling at the edges. To control that--I cut out the pieces, and with them doubled and laying flat, I spray-starch the edges. With an iron, I press them dry. It's worth the effort. No more curling! Just be cautious and use an up and down motion with the iron so the fabric doesn't get distorted when pressing. It would be a quicker task using a clam-press.


Today, I'm going to cut T-shirts and probably sew at least one of them. I have white denim, washed and ready to cut out jeans. And, I found dark brown bull denim at Jo's for jeans. After doing a bit of really simple sewing, I'm going to be eager to make something more challenging and creative for my exciting trips to hospitals and running errands!


Have a great holiday!