Post Birthday Reflections

I want to thank all of you for your wonderful birthday wishes! I was really touched by all the comments here, and on Facebook, wishing me well.

The day was great! My daughters planned to take me out for the day. They wanted to treat me to lunch and to a gift of my own choosing. We headed for the east bay, first to the Stone Mountain & Daughter fabric store and then to my favorite shopping area in Berkeley, called Fourth Street. I hadn't been to Fourth Street in many years, but at the Bryn Walker store I managed to find a beautiful pewter necklace that the girls bought for me, as well as another necklace and bracelet I bought myself. At the Japanese import store I found a couple pieces of Japanese fabric, as well as a gorgeous scarf. And, of course, there was a bit more stash acquisition at Stone Mountain. (I think I must be part Ferengi.)

We also had fun at the Bare Escentuals store and later, at home, we had a marathon makeup session.

It was much better than last year when both kids forgot my birthday. <ahem> :)

We had a heat wave last week, so I planned to wear my silk organza top. I put it on and tried to take some photos, but it was freezing cold, foggy and windy, so I changed to another outfit. I need to try again to get some photos before I can post that top. I also have another pair of StyleArc pants almost finished, so look for that post too.

Meanwhile, let me leave you with some eye candy I recently discovered. This fiber artist has created some truly wonderful designs that you can see in person in New York, Paris, and Sao Paolo: Yasmine Studio. Make sure you look at all three of her collections! I want to be her when I grow up. :)

July 9th!

Happy Birthday to me,
I'm now fifty-three!
Or maybe fifty-two,
I'm forgetful too!

(Seriously, I can't remember.)

Pajama Bottoms Galore!

I know, I know. PJ bottoms are boring. So how about SIX pair of pj bottoms? Does that make it a bit less boring? No? Oh well. :)

I decided I need a pair of new PJ bottoms for my trip to Pennsylvania in April, so I made a pair using a fabric I'd bought on sale at Eddie's Quilting Bee in Sunnyvale. When I was staying with Peggy, I just loved her African print PJ bottoms, so I picked up a couple African prints at JoMars in Philadelphia. Then I bought a paisley flannel, also at JoMars. I also made a pair out of a pebbled silk from FabricMart. And then I had a plaid light blue flannel lying around from Fabrix -- might as well sew that up too.

I forced myself to stop at six pair - I was getting a bit obsessive. Most of these use the Louise Cutting One Seam pant pattern. It may be the last time I use this particular pattern because she has come out with a modified One Seam pant that is a bit more fitted. I'll have to try that one — but it may supplant this pattern as my go-to PJs. The black flannel print was too narrow for the one seam pattern, so for those I used Burda 7400, without the band at the hem.

So, here's the gallery!

Most Gender Neutral	Most Luxe
Best Matched Print	Most Likely to Disintegrate
Most Snuggly	Most Funka-delic

Which reminds me. I think this is the first time I've owned a pair of silk PJ bottoms. How do you guys store yours? Do you hang or fold?

Fabric Goodness - Enabler Alert!

Thanks for all your kind comments on my last couple posts. In the comments here, on SG, and on PR, there was some serious coveting of the fabric I had used in my Teagarden T. I bought the lightweight rayon/lycra from Emma One Sock several weeks ago and she no longer has any in stock. But one of my readers managed to find what looks like the same fabric at Mood.

Thanks, Carol in Denver, for letting me know about it!

When I went to their site to nose around, I found two other fabrics that seem to be a similar print, but in different color ways. (I'm not saying they are identical to the original fabric, but they seem very similar. Also note that the first fabric may not be identical to mine, but it sure seems similar.)

Clicking each fabric takes you to the corresponding page on the Mood Fabrics website. As usual, I have no affiliation.

FR259083

FR25736C

FR29845C

Vogue 8499 - Brussels Washer Linen Pants

A few months ago I bought three coordinating pieces of Brussels Washer Linen from Dana Marie Design. Brussels washer linen, made by Kaufman, is a 55% linen, 45% rayon blend. I had heard good reports of this fabric, which wrinkles less than a 100% linen. I decided to use the natural-colored piece for a pair of pants that I had made before: Vogue 8499, one of Marcy Tilton's pants.

I've been wearing the first pair a lot lately, and the pattern screams summer to me. That first pair, made with a floaty, drapey Taslan fabric, was great in this design. If you recall, the pattern is quite oversized and I went down many sizes, making a size 6 - it was perfect in the Taslan.

The first pair I made in March, 2010

This pattern is not perfect in the linen/rayon blend, at least not in the size 6. It's too stiff, which I should have realized up front. As a result of the stiff fabric, these pants are less flattering. The pattern is great, but it needs a fabric with more flow and drape, or I need to remove more fullness.

I will still wear these, but any ideas of what to do with the other two pieces of Brussels Washer linen? :) I do like its softer wrinkles, it's just beefier than I expected.

Alterations and Modifications

The only change I made to this pair was to lengthen them about 3/4" - the last pair seemed a tad short. If I were to make these again out of a similar fabric, I would remove additional fullness through the back hip.

This is the third garment (out of seven) that I made this last weekend. Stay tuned for more reviews. :)

Detail of topstitched knee darts and front seam

StyleArc - The Linda Stretch Pant

More pics

Have you heard of Style Arc patterns yet? This Australian-based pattern company is quickly gaining popularity, thanks to the internet.

I first became aware of them when, mere days after the royal wedding, they were offering a knock-off of the Pippa dress. You know the one:

I have to say that I loved Pippa's dress much more than Katherine's. :)

Not interested in making the Pippa dress, some of their other offerings caught my attention. Folks were starting to order a few of their patterns to test them out, with very favorable results. For example, Ann of Gorgeous Things, made up the Cruise Club Kim dress and the Creative Cate top, which was May's freebie pattern. The general consensus is that the Style Arc patterns are drafted the way RTW is drafted and that they fit much better than the Big 4, from the get-go, with less "extra" ease through the upper chest, for example, and a more RTW-like crotch curve. You can read more StyleArc pattern reviews on the PR website.

I was particularly interested in the StyleArc pant offerings. Despite the high cost of shipping to the U.S., I ordered several pant patterns, a couple jacket patterns, and I also received the June freebie, a camisole pattern.

The Style Arc patterns come in one size only, though the range of sizes they offer is quite large. These patterns are hand drafted and do not use multi-sizing and so, like the Italian Marfy patterns, you have to commit.

Australian sizing is different than U.S. or even European sizing, so you need to take your measurements and compare them against their sizing chart. But even then, I was not sure what to order as I don't know how generous their ease is and my waist, hip, and bust measurements each correspond to very different sizes. So, I started a conversation with Chloe at Style Arc, gave her my measurements, sent her to a picture of me on my blog, and we worked out that I should order a size 10 for bottoms and a size 16 for tops, with the understanding that I needed to alter for my waist and bust. (She even checked the ease on the jackets I wanted - such great customer service!)

When my package arrived (via Kansas City, for some reason, where the envelope was torn in transit, and then taped up again and stuck into a plastic baggie), the patterns were intact, thank goodness. The pattern paper is similar to Kwik Sew pattern paper - fairly substantial. I have not yet seen a pattern piece that requires that you lay it out on the fold. So you get the entire front, for example, and the entire back. That is very handy when matching prints or plaids, or cutting on the bias. But what I liked most, is that for each pattern, they enclose a small swatch of the recommended fabric. It's tiny, but it's much better than nothing.

The Linda Stretch Pant

I decided to start with the Linda Stretch Pant, which is a fitted pull-on pant for stretch wovens. They recommend a stretch bengaline, which is almost impossible to find in the U.S. and, thanks to the enclosed swatch, I discovered that it is not a particularly stretchy fabric. I had some fabric in my stash from Fabrix that I though would be a good substitute. (Some enterprising Aussie might want to try selling some stretch bengaline on Etsy, which is widely available in Australia in different colors and a couple different weights. I'd buy some!! :) )

Since the size 10 was based on my hip measurement, I knew I would have to enlarge the waist, but I was not exactly sure where/how much, so I decided to forge ahead and make the pattern as designed, adding a bit at the side seam. Oh, these patterns use 1cm, or 3/8", seam allowances.

These pants sewed up quickly!

Materials:

• A stretch woven wool blend (?), gabardine (?), dark taupe fabric from Fabrix. I love this fabric and almost hated to use it as a test, but I have enough for another pair of pants or two and I have already used it for a pair of Sewing Workshop Trio pants that I love. So I put on my big girl panties and forged ahead.
• 1" waistband elastic. The pattern calls for 2" waistband elastic, which is optional.

Construction Notes:

• I added another 3/8" to the side seams, for a total 3/4" seam allowance, but cut the rest of the front and back pant out as designed. Their construction notes utilize RTW techniques and instruct you to sew the inside leg seams first, so I did not add more seam allowance fabric there. You then sew the crotch seam flat, using their stretch woven techniques - these were new to me, but seem to work quite well. I then pinned the side seams and tentatively tried them on. They fit quite well! Yes, the pants were a bit snug through the belly, and there was a bit of muffin top, but nothing I am not used to in RTW. The rise and crotch curve were perfect!
• I did not use the shaped waistband that came with the pattern. It was far too small for my waist. I used a rectangular waistband, as I always do. If you have a waist that is smaller than your hips, I'm sure the shaped waistband would be great.
• I very slightly tapered the pants at the knee. To be honest, I would probably omit tapering next time.
• I shortened the pants by 1", so I would assume that these patterns are drafted for someone who is around 5'6".
  

Conclusion:

That's it! For me that is minimal changes, especially for such a fitted pant. These pants came together so fast and I love the fit! Yes, they do feel very much like a good pair of RTW pants. It's hard to believe that there is no zipper, especially since this stretch woven is not that stretchy, but they are so comfortable! Next time I make them (and there will be a next time), I plan to enlarge the waist a bit to avoid the muffin top, though it really doesn't need much tweaking. :)

Another Teagarden T

My top is also new - one of the six things I made last weekend. I can't remember exactly how many Sewing Workshop Teagarden T's I have made, but it's approximately ten. I love this pattern – it is my go-to t-shirt. For this one, I used a lightweight rayon/lycra knit from Emma One Sock. I just loved the wild print. Also, because the fabric was so wide, I was able to lengthen it a couple of inches, which is a nice change. The first Teagarden T that I made, the one from a black rayond/lycra blend, is starting to wear out. I need to make another black one, but it's not the most exciting sewing. :)

More Pictures

I LOVE this outfit. Love love love. These pants are so darned comfortable!!! So is the top and I just love the soft, lightweight rayon knit that just skims the body. UBER LOVE. :)

Blogger Meetup - Meeting Ann Smith!

I have been wanting to meet Ann Smith, an amazing and prolific sewist, for a long time now.

I first became aware of Ann when I returned to sewing (two years ago) because of her excellent reviews on Pattern Review. She and I love many of the same patterns and her versions are wonderful - she has a special ability to match patterns to fabric and to style her outfits in wonderful ways. I also soon became aware of (blogless) Dorothy K on PR, thanks to her excellent reviews. I managed to meet Dorothy in person, and a more lovely person you can't imagine, but she's so chic and stylish too. She's only been sewing for five years, and I don't think she ever has to alter a pattern, but I forgive her totally. Well, mostly.

Dorothy and Ann are longtime friends so Dorothy arranged for us to shop together when Ann was in town a couple months ago. On the day we were scheduled to get together, I came down with the plague and they were forced to shop and eat without me. I would have been more upset had I not spent most of the day in a near-coma.

Dorothy arranged another get together recently and this time, it all came together. Meeting Ann was like meeting someone I already knew. The three of us had a great day together, all arranged by Dorothy - she even fed us an amazing meal, while sporting her cool Sewing Workshop Tamari Apron. (I really do forgive her.) Later, we made it to the sale at Thai Silks and did a bit of nearby snoop shopping

One of our big topics of conversation was the task of taking good photographs for pattern reviews. We all find it challenging and I shared that when I recently met my blogging friends back east, they went on for a considerable length of time at how I look better in person than in my photos. A colleague once told me that I don't even look the same as I do in my photos, but that I look good in my photos. Huh? Given that I work hard to take the best photos possible, I am not sure what to make of these comments. :)

But all in all, it was a perfect day.

There are no pictures of all three of us, because someone had to take the photos. I didn't even think to bring my camera, but luckily Ann had hers, no doubt planning to capture the shenanigans of her grandbabies. You know, I forgive her too. ;)

Ann is enjoying Dorothy's spread. Dorothy and husband grew most of the salad fixings.

Me and Dorothy