Sunday Notes

Well, this weekend wasn't as sewing-intensive as some. Both kids were here and there were inevitable (though enjoyable) distractions.

You may recall that about a month ago I purchased a handmade ham and seam roll from Stitch Nerd on Etsy.

The ham, in particular, was smaller than I expected, so I wasn't sure how much use I would get out of it. I've now used it for several projects and, I have to say, I LOVE this ham! (I don't use a seam roll too much, in general.)

First, it has a nice smell of sawdust. I really like the smell. The ham I've been using is a Dritz brand and I'm not sure what stuffs it so firmly, but it is not sawdust. I love how the steam can really penetrate the sawdust filling. This new one is just a bit malleable - that little bit of give makes it much easier to manipulate and use. I like it much better than the hard-as-a-rock Dritz ham.

At some point, I will be ordering a custom ham in a larger size so I can have small and large options. I will then retire the Dritz model. I really use my pressing tools, and this one is definitely Shams-endorsed! (I get nothing for my review, so don't worry about that. :)

Other than finishing my Liberty top this weekend, I also have another Style Arc cardi almost finished. It's a quick project, but I am tweaking it a bit, so I'm not sure when I will be posting it.

I hope you have a great week!

Sewing Workshop - Liberty in Blue Jacquard

A couple more pics

I'm a bit surprised at myself that I haven't yet made the Liberty shirt as designed. This is a great pattern - based on a Miyake design originally - but I have seen many boutique versions of this great top. If you don't have this pattern in your arsenal, you should.

The first few times I made this top, I used Heather N's pullover version. For those versions, I had traced off a Large and performed a 2" FBA. Since that time I have been doing my FBAs a bit differently, so this time I traced a size Medium, chopped the front off at the waist, performed a 3" FBA, and re-attached the bottom, merging them together at the side seam. I definitely prefer the fit of this version which hangs closer to my hips.

Both versions.
Left: Size Large with standard 2" FBA. Right: Size Medium, sliced at waist, 3" Y-shaped FBA on top, bottom re-attached, and side seam merged.
Result: Much better fit through the hips.

I have been meaning to make a buttoned version of the Liberty for over a year, but it took the Autumn 6-pack to get me to do it. This is my first top for the fall 6-pack.

The fabric is a 100% cotton jacquard from FabricMart. As of this writing, they have 14 yards remaining. I really love the drape of this fabric. The recommended care was dry cleaning or hand wash, but I tossed it into the washer and dryer and it came out like an heirloom tablecloth - such beautiful drape with heft to it. It's so rare to see woven cotton with such lovely drape.

Materials:

• 100% cotton jacquard in cornflower blue from FabricMart
  
• white Angel Weft interfacing from Apple Annie's for the front and neck facings
  
• 6 5/8" Dritz buttons from JoAnns
  

Alterations & Construction Notes:

• I decided to alter the collar. I changed the neckline and drafted a new collar. It wasn't quite what I wanted, so I left off the collar, but the neckline is lower/more open than the original pattern. I plan to play with this more in future versions.
• I used a size Medium with a 3" y-shaped FBA.
• I widened the back, creating 1" darts on each shoulder.
• I removed about 2" from the outer edge of the shoulder, tapering it to nothing.
• The pattern instructs you to do French seams on the shoulder and side seams. Because I had darts in both sets of seams, I did hand-sewn flat felled seam instead. I also used hand sewn flat felled seams on the sleeve seams.
• The size Medium sleeve is a bit too long. Next time I should shorten it by an inch.
• I used six buttons, spaced in three sets of two.

Pictures

Love the texture of the jacquard