Amanda's Not-So-Shrunken Cardigan - in eggplant

Another knit is finished! I'm getting closer and closer to my 2009 goal of 6 knits for the year. This pattern is Wendy Bernard's "Marilyn's Not-So-Shrunken Cardigan". In all honesty it wasn't even on my radar to make. But then I saw Lynn's awesome pink cardigan made this past summer, and I had to have one. I already had this yarn in my extremely small stash from last year and the printed gauge was the same, so I went for it. By the way, I made this fun white blouse in January. Isn't it the perfect top for wearing under this sweater? I love the look!

The yarn is Knit Pick's Merino style 100% wool and it is super warm. I feel like I have discovered a new thing in wool sweaters. They just don't seem to sell them much in Texas, or perhaps they've been out of my price range. Anyway, I hate to be cold, even with our light southern winters, so wool sweaters are great to have on hand.

This pattern is suppose to be looser - hence the name - but I wanted something more form-fitting. I separated the sleeves from the body at 9" diagonally from the CO edge, instead of the called for 10". I just knew this would be a perfect fit. When I finally tried it on after I had done the bottom ribbing, I thought it was a bit snug. Hmmm. I guess I'll check my gauge now. Instead of getting 22 stitches per 4 inches per the pattern, I was getting 24 stitches! Duh! Totally a rookie mistake. I ended up knitting a wider button band and putting the ruffle directly on it. It was still snug, but not too bad.

And then do you know what happened?! I washed it and blocked it and the thing grew to the perfect size!!! Huh? Is this normal behavior for wool fibers? Do you knitters out there expect your wool to grow and knit sweaters smaller because of it? I'd really like to know, because while I know a lot about the behavior of fabrics, I know nothing about yarns.

Aren't these ruffles cute? Thanks, Lynn, for sharing your great modifications. I found the perfect buttons at JoAnn's. After I made both button band and buttonhole band and tried to close it, the buttons kept popping out. I had to go back with needle and thread and whip-stitch around the buttonholes for reinforcement. I'm just learning new knitting techniques left and right with this one!

I chose this purple yarn because I love the color but don't have anything like it in my closet. I also have some wonderful matching fabrics built up to make coordinating garments with, if I ever get finished with the wardrobe contest.

NewLook 6563 - Teal floral blouse w/ front tucks - Wardrobe contest garment #7

Woot! Another garment for the PR Wardrobe Contest is completed and there's finally some light to get the photos taken in. I originally planned to use this fabric with McCall's 5809, but it turned out to be a wadder so I had to find something else. This pattern has been in my stash for years; I'm not sure what took me so long to make it up. The fabric is a polyester chiffon from JoAnn's that I bought earlier in the year. It was part of their Monaco collection that I bought quite a few cuts of. Here is the post for the pants.

These sleeves are so pretty and feminine with their long flowy shape and gathers at the sleeve heads and bottom band. They look peasant-y to me like my most recent wadder, only without the ginormous amount of width.

This was suppose to be a bit more loose fitting. I measured the pattern piece before I cut it out, but forgot to subtract the 6 front tucks. Oh well, I love it anyway.

Here you can see the front tucks, button-and-loop closures, and slightly ruffly peplum. Didn't I luck out with the buttons? They are the perfect size and color. I did a bunch of little tweaks to this design:
1. Added 1/2" to the bottom of the bodice
2. Added 1/4" to the bottom of the peplum pieces. They only allow 3/8" hem and those are fiddly to sew, especially on a curve
3. Added a fabric inset along the button line to prevent exposing my skin
4. Took a 5/8" seam along the neckline instead of the 3/8" of the pattern - again, fiddly to sew


Here's the before-mentioned fabric inset. Why don't they include this in the pattern pieces or instructions? Without it, the slightest move exposes skin and/or undergarments.

This is the super skinny bottom sleeve band. I have been scared of these in the past, especially if it's bias cut. But this time around I compared it to the pattern piece and then starched it. I used three lines of gathering stitches for the sleeve bottoms and sleeve caps and had no problem making the gathers evenly spaced.

This pattern did call for bias tape to finish off the neckline edge, which I love to do. I also added it along the sleeve seam for a pretty finish. I again had luck with finding the right shade of teal for the bias tape.

I did french seams throughout. This picture is of the side seam and peplum side seam. If your fabric isn't too see-through you can alternate ironing the seam to the front and then the back. This cuts down on bulk.

I've got several other things to show you later, but for now I must go sew. This contest is kicking my butt!!! Poor Justin is playing with the kids all day today to give me more time at the machine.

Why I love Macy's

Warning: The following post has nothing to do with sewing!

It's a well know fact to people that know me that I love Macy's. Pretty much everything I wear that's not hand made has been bought there. I have their credit card. They send me tons of coupons. I love them. However, often times when I go there with friends or family members, there's slim pickings. So just to prove it to you/them, here is what I purchased on a recent trip there with some birthday money.

(Oh, I feel I must tell you that I am not a brand name person. I care about good quality fabrics, things that are well made, and garments with great fit, but not about who's name is on the label. I have included that information only in case there's interest.)

Here's a great black denim jacket from Charter Club complete with pocket piping, interesting topstitching, and Hong Kong finishes for the inside seams. It's a great staple item that I was lacking.
Original price $60.00 - Marked down to $18.00 - With a coupon $11.00 (I can't even buy the fabric for that!)

Up next, a lightweight cotton tunic from Sunny Leigh with very well done white embroidery. It's a little more fitted then the typical tunic. I thought it would be great next summer with my white linen pants. And, as I don't own an embroidery machine, it's not something I could make.
Original price $59.00 - Marked down to $17.70 - With a coupon $10.70

This red rayon/spandex blend top from Sunny Leigh is perfect for wearing as a shell under jackets this fall and winter. It has sequins sewn down the front and a cute tie in the middle. I've only ever embellished one thing before, and that was a lot of work.
Original price $49.00 - Marked down to $7.35 - With a coupon $4.35

Next up is the exact same top as the red one above, in brown. Same prices apply.

And finally a simple black shell from Style&Co (Macy's store brand) that I was needing. It's mostly nylon with some spandex thrown in. The front fabric is doubled for a nice, smooth look.
Original price $24.00 - Marked down to $3.60 (They don't take coupons for their store brand)

The coupon I used was a $20 off a $50 purchase - (you have to have their credit card to receive these in the mail.) With tax, the total came to $36.76. Not a bad haul, right? I think they have better prices for clothing than discount stores, you don't have to comb through racks and racks of clothing, and the customer service and cleanliness of the store is really great.

Now, don't everyone flock to the Macy's I go to and buy up all the good stuff, kay? :)

A week of sewing, in the trash can

It's bound to happen to everyone now and then. The dreaded wadder. This one was a combination of poor fabric choice and bad pattern drafting. And just so you're warned, these photos are super unflattering.

This pattern is McCall's 5931.I picked this pattern because I thought the bustline gathering was very flattering, and there is a curved piece sewn into the front side which creates a little pocket for the boobs. Does that make sense? (I think you can see this the best on the side view.) However, the neckline was a super low scoop, so my first order of business was to bring that up 1.5 inches. Under the front gathered piece there is a lining that is ungathered. I didn't notice until it was sewn up, but that only allowed 5.5" between bust points. That is very small, maybe the size of a child? And there is no way the girl on the envelope is that tiny. Measure yourself and see what I mean! So no problem, I have extra fabric, I'll just add in 2.5" extra and start again. Only now the front side pieces are way too long, and those have to be trimmed but trimmed to where the sleeve will still go in at the appropriate spot. Okay, I can make that work. Not too too bad, right?

Check out these ginormous sleeves! And people, I took 9" in width out of them! And then they might not be so bad if there wasn't so much fabric under the armpit. They are at a 90 degree angle with the bodice! No shirts are made that way.

But, here's the clincher. Do I look a little, um, pregnant?! Augh!!! This fabric is a polyester charmeuse border print. Now, had I followed the fabric suggestions on the back of the envelope - crepe do chine, handkerchief linen, challis, etc. - these gathers would not be standing out so far away from my body. So I am owning that mistake.

I am not loving the fact that I started this project to get a break from the contest but all I get for my efforts is an ugly wadder. Now I'll probably be scrambling at the end to finish all my garments and lamenting the fact that I spent a week on this horror!

The November issue of Burda is here!

One of the main themes of this month's magazine is special occasion gowns in Christmas red. I have absolutely nowhere to wear such an extravagant dress, so we'll just skip right over that section.

Jacket 110 did not appeal to me at first. They've got it made up in a very heavy quilted fabric, and it looks bulky and unflattering. But the line drawing is actually quite nice. I can see it in some tan suede-backed-sherpa, with the collar and cuffs on the sherpa side. Or maybe one of those thinner quilted sequined fabrics JoAnn's is currently carrying.
Not that I need another jacket project, but I really like this one -119- especially in velvet like the magazine has it made in. The muted mustard yellow is very nice. I think this design is super cute. The back shoulder yoke meets the back seam in a V.

I'm a sucker for a crisp pleated skirt. Here, the pockets extend up into belt loops, and the front pleat is doubled. This design is 120.

I like this simple little polo shirt, 121, but not the folding inside collar. That will be easy enough to switch out.

So, what are your favorites?

BWOF 11-2008-117 - Brown skirt w/ inset panels - Wardrobe contest garment #6

Here's some more brown for you. Although it is a wardrobe staple so I'm glad for the addition. The fit on this one turned out to be really nice. As you can tell, I shortened it to knee-length by trimming 3 inches off the bottom and 6 inches from the middle. Long skirts of any kind aren't the most flattering on my body, IMO.

Burda calls for this to be made in a stretch fabric. This is because there are only 3 pattern pieces, with one being the facing, so the front and back are the exact same. You need some give to stretch over the bum and not pouch out in the front. This fabric is a stretch suiting bought from JoAnn's earlier this year.

I loved the interesting construction lines on this design. The hardest thing was making those corners crisp and lining up the seams correctly. Otherwise, it is pretty simple and straightforward. Do you like my "hose"? They are actually nude-colored fishnet tights. I love the subtle addition of texture they offer. The brand is Hue from Macy's. I bought some black ones also.

Here's the full lining. This was my first time using a knit for a lining. The instructions call for cutting it off before the fabric flairs out but I opted to extend it down to just above the hem. I ended up moving the invisible zipper from the side seam to the center back so it would lie smoother.

Here you can see where I zigzagged the facing in place onto the lining, as per the instructions. I thought this might turn out wonky but it actually looks really nice and neat.

My shoes are from Bandolino. Aren't they fun? I've had them for about 2 years.

Butterick came out with some new patterns for Winter. I'm not very impressed with the new selections, but do like the tied front jacket from 5428:

Now I am taking a break from the wardrobe to work on McCall's 5931. It has ginormous sleeves, of which I am making smaller in width. Hopefully it turns out looking cute.

This and that

Remember how much I loved this jacket from the October Burda magazine? But then I was lamenting about where to find some leather or possibly faux leather. Y'all had some great advice about where to go to get skins. I was thinking it over, wondering if I should start with something a little more simple for a first leather project.

And then while perusing through some new fabrics at Hancock's I ran across this:

It's a wonderful fake leather in a great shade of tan with light and dark areas to it. Talk about perfection! It was a steal at $10.99/yard for 60" wide fabric. But wait! Hancock's takes JoAnn's coupons and I just happened to have one for 50% off. I got 2 1/4 yards and hope that's enough. The pattern calls for 3 skins of 30" X 30".

There's not been much sewing going on around here. We went to Houston this weekend to visit my sister and brother-in-law and attend the Texas Renaissance Festival in Magnolia. It had some fun parts but entirely too many freaky people walking around. Exactly what does an S&M costume have to do with the Renaissance, I ask you? Or a chain metal halter top with nothing else on underneath? Yikes! I'm glad my boys aren't old enough to really take notice of those things.

In other news, I'm really struggling with my enthusiasm for this wardrobe contest. I am super bored with aqua and brown, and would really like to be making some other things for fall. Perhaps that is why I've only completed one garment and it's past the middle of this month. I feel like I have to be working on wardrobe garments in order to get them all done, and I hate that feeling. I want to rebel and just forget the whole thing. But then I really do want to complete it. At this point I'm not sure what I'll do.