The Nest Scarf

My black and white nest

Once a year I go off for a weekend of sewing with some like-minded buddies. I usually shop too much, eat too much, and sew just the right amount.

This year was no different.

Sewing away...

My first project didn't require a sewing machine at all.

You may have heard of the recent Sew Expo in Puyallup, Washington. Billed as the nation's largest sewing expo and held in late February and early March, I've never been. But my friend and retreat roomie, Sue, did. While there, she bought a scarf kit from Diane Ericson, called The Nest.

Sue's earth tones nest

Independent of Sue, I was reading Diane Ericson's facebook page, and I saw the Nest scarf, made up and worn. I immediately emailed Diane and asked if I could order one. I could. She had only a few left, so it is a limited edition and not listed for sale on her site, but I snagged one.

The kit consists of a long strip of a bias cut silk/metallic lattice, in an off-white color, and a collection of ribbons, trims, and fabric scraps, plus four charms. You tie the goodies onto the scarf and then wind it around your neck. Once it's on your body, you reach in through the lattice and pull a few of the tschotskes through to the outside, which also helps anchor the arrangement.

Voilà, a nest.

Sue and I were amused that we had each purchased one of these kits without talking about it, even afterwards. We laid them out on our beds and tied away. I may go back later and add some red strips from my own stash.

Diane tells me she has a few of these kits left. If you are interested, you can contact her.

I have more projects to blog from the weekend, so stay tuned.

Failure Galore

I'm going on a sewing retreat soon. In preparation for that, I've been cleaning up the cutting area and sewing room. Putting away projects and getting ready to prep several projects for the retreat.

I've had some unsuccessful projects recently, but I didn't realize how many until I did some cleaning.

I've had five, yes FIVE failed projects since New Years. I know that other sewists appreciate hearing about failures, as well as successes, so here's a listing. No pictures are forthcoming. Pattern names are not listed to protect the innocent - it really wasn't the patterns' fault in any of these cases. :)

1. A beautiful coat using an expensive, gorgeous wool. Argh, this was a bitter disappointment. In this case, when I did the FBA on the pattern, I hadn't realized how another area would be affected by my large bust and it just did not work. I could not figure out how to salvage this one. C'est tragique.
2. A jacket using an expensive wool knit from Mood. This was one of my "brilliant" ideas for converting a top pattern to a jacket, but I did not muslin it. Fail.
3. A pair of pants using a taslan fabric. Wow, was the fabric wrong for the pattern. On so many levels, it was wrong. Let me give you just one example: you know that awful sound of pantyhose crunching between ample thighs? Yeah.
4. There was a RTW jacket I wanted to replicate so I used a pattern to create a "muslin" using a very ugly piece of linen. It was a giant blech.
5. Another RTW top I wanted to replicate. I used a cheap, but usable, crinkle knit fabric. I did lots of hand sewing on this one. The end result is so "meh" I will use it only as a sleep shirt.

What did I do with all of these failures? I pouted a bit. I whinged, especially to Margy. I tried other, easy, projects with better success.

And all of this is now purged and cleared. Time to start new projects. Hopefully, these will be more successful. :)

Style Arc Kerry Cargo Pants

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Not a lot of sewing here. I started a food detox last Sunday and had several days where I felt pretty sick. But I've come through to the other side and am feeling much better. I actually finished these pants last Sunday and am just now feeling up to blogging them.

I've had this Style Arc pattern for many months but couldn't decide on a fabric. Recently, a friend was de-stashing and I snagged a piece of tan-colored stretch woven. A fairly beefy woven cotton, with two way stretch, the 2 yards of 54" fabric was insufficient, according to the envelope. But I laid out the pattern and decided I could just barely make it work. (I omitted a few of the smaller pattern pieces, which helped.) After cutting these out, all that remained were a few, very small, scraps.

Alterations and Modifications:

I made my usual size 10 with a few modifications:

• Replaced the drawstring waist with elastic.
• I plan to wear the pant leg rolled up, so I did not shorten the pants, though they are quite a bit too long for me. I prefer the rolled up length to be "longer", so the extra length helps to create a more substantial cuff than if I were to roll up the hem once or twice.
• Omitted the side seam pockets. My experience of side seam pockets is that they gape and are not flattering.
• Omitted the back pockets. These pants, as designed are pocket-ful with six pockets!
• I seem to be constitutionally unable to include certain types of embellishments - namely, anything military or safari. In this case, I cut out the pocket flaps for the leg pockets but could not bring myself to use them. I just preferred the pockets without. Maybe because I lived through the 80s and had enough safari and military details. :)
• I lined the leg pockets with scraps of a cream linen/silk blend.
• After the pants were sewn together, I removed 1/2" from the side seam at the waist (2" total). I would have probably needed this ease in a non-stretch woven.

Conclusion: This is definitely a more relaxed fit than other Style Arc pants I've made. Time will tell how much I wear them, but they are certainly very comfy.

StyleArc has spoiled me, I think. I recently have been wearing some of my older pants and they now feel over-sized to me. I have not lost weight, but I am starting to prefer a closer fit with my clothing. "Closer fitted funky." I like that. ;)

More Pictures

Pocket shot Am I the only person who keeps a wooden spoon with my pressing tools? I've used the spoon to press open the seam in the tab. I love the Frixion pens for marking. The pattern did not include a shaped tab, so I drew on one. After stitching, the marks are easily removed with a shot of steam. Evidence that I haven't cooked in three months. Cooking again!

Vogue 8497 - Marcy Tilton Top

More Pictures

Thanks to all of you who voted!
I won the Jeans Contest on Pattern Review!
Woot!

I hope I'm not becoming too repetitive, but I seem to be on a knit top roll. I've had this pattern for a long time, intending to get around to it "one of these days".

I've been collecting some great rayon lycra knits, and I've worked out a TnT pattern that I can lay on top of other patterns and transfer the fit, so there's no stopping me now. :)

I decided to make a variation of view B, which Marcy shows on her website (search the page for "Holey Moley").

Originally, I planned to insert a circle or two as she shows in her tutorial, but the fabric I used is a very lightweight, very drapey rayon/lycra and it would have been more painstaking than I wanted to deal with. (Those circles would be much easier in a cotton lycra.)

Marcy's variation of view B

Materials:

• A lightweight rayon/lycra. I think I bought this from Emma One Sock.

Alterations and Modifications:

• I redrew the shape of the front seam to mimic the tan striped top on Marcy's site. I think this is a more flattering line for my bust.
• Rather than using the cut-on sleeve from the pattern, I used the armscye and sleeve from my TnT tee.
• Borrowing the construction from the last few collaged tops I've made, I serged the shaped front seam, shaped back seam and hems. I overlapped the front seams and stitched on the conventional machine. I did the same for the back seam.
• I used a neckline treatment I have used, and blogged about, before. I saw this on a top in Marcy's wardrobe.
  
  Same neckline treatment, different top. For this one I cut the strip on the bias and lined up the three raw edges to be even.
  
  The back neck, from this top.
  To summarize:
  
  • Cut a 1.5" vertical strip longer than the neckline.
  • Fold it in half the long way and press the crease.
  • Lay the strip against the neckline so that the raw edges of the strip are extended slightly beyond the raw edge of the neckline - maybe 1/8".
  • Top-stitch 1/8" from the folded edge of the strip, pulling slightly as you round the curves. To see my favorite video showing how to calculate a binding for a scoop neck, and how to attach the strip to the neckline, see the Sarah Veblen Neckline Binding for Knits video on the Threads Magazine website. I used Sarah's basic technique for calculating the length and attaching the strip, but applied to Marcy's raw edge technique. It's an excellent video, well worth pinning.

Conclusion:

I am really having fun with these rayon lycra print knit tops! They are so stretchy, but with good recovery. They are soft, comfy, and, I hope, flattering, flowing over lumps and bumps but not clinging to them. And I can whip one of these up in an evening!

Oh, you'll never guess what happened! I was typing this entry last night when the control key on my keyboard split in half. It's usable, but annoying, so it's back to the Apple Store today!

More Pictures

A Pants Index

Today I received a gorgeous, and I mean gorgeous, piece of fabric from a blogger friend. I won't reveal it yet, or the person who generously gifted me with it, but I immediately thought I'd like to use it for a pair of pants.

Unfortunately, my memory is no longer the steel trap it once was, and I had trouble remembering which patterns I have used and liked that work well with wovens. This particular woven feels something like a crisp linen, though I have not washed it yet - it needs some special pre-treatment.

So, I spent this evening doing something I've wanted to do for some time: I created a visual index of my pants TnT patterns. Wow, I think this is going to help. In case it's of general interest, I have put a link to Pants Galore! A Visual Index at the top of my blog.

What strikes me now that I've made this index is that I have not made the variety of patterns that I thought I had. I have much more to sew! :) What also strikes me is that some of my most favorite patterns are Marcy Tilton's... and Style Arc... and one particular Au Bonheur.

Thanks, again, for those of you who have voted for me in the Jeans Contest! You guys rock!

All on the Line with Joe Zee

Have you managed to catch "All on the Line with Joe Zee" yet?

This is a great reality show about the fashion business. Joe Zee (which usually seems to be pronounced 'Josie' when both names are used) is a creative editor for Elle Magazine. He works with struggling fashion businesses to identify their problems and help turn them around.

Joe has a real sense of where the weaknesses of a fashion house are, be they in the creative arena, or the business arena. He works with the designer and associates to come up with a plan. The episode culminates in an appointment that Joe sets up with buyers of a relevant business, such as Nordstroms, Neiman Marcus, or Scoop, and with the editor of Elle.com, who promises to feature the fashion house if their latest work meets with expectations.

Sometimes Joe works with small fashion houses that haven't achieved the level of success they need to stay in business. Sometimes he works with well known fashion houses that have stagnated, such as Nicole Miller.

I love this show! It gives you a peek into the real world of the fashion business. Far more real than what you see on Project Runway.

As of this writing, there are two completed seasons. They are currently working on season 3. Here is the episode list on IMDb.

I watch "All on the Line" on the Sundance Channel, but a friend with Comcast tells me she that can see it via On Demand. It also seems to be available through iTunes (for a fee).

Shameless Self Promotion

Voting for the Jeans Contest ends the day after tomorrow (2/23). If you haven't voted yet, and are a current member of Pattern Review, please consider voting. I know my jeans are pushing the envelope of normal, but one of the criteria of the contest is to make jeans that "stand out from the crowd". :)

I have nothing new to report, sewing-wise. Last weekend my hard drive died, so it was back to the Apple store for a new one. They tell me the battery is next to go, so I'm hoping there's nothing left on my baby to break!

Meanwhile, I'm trying to catch up with work. It's work work work for Shams. Good thing I like my work, even when it impedes the sewing. ;)

Au Bonheur Jeans Funkiness!

I made the Au Bonheur jeans a third time. The first time, I tested the pattern in black ponte. The second time, I made a pair using stretch indigo denim.

This time I wanted to make a pair that showcased the funky aspect of this pattern. For this pair, I made the following changes:

• The original pattern calls for contrasting fabrics for several of the pattern pieces. For the first two pair, I used the same fabric for the entire pants. For this pair, I created my own contrasting fabric using my needle felting machine (also called an embellishing machine).
• I changed the back pockets. I started with the pocket shape from the Jalie Jeans and made a pocket design that incorporated a contrasting element and echoed the angle of the yoke.
• I made this pair 1" longer.
• I used white top-stitching thread.

Materials and Notions:

• Stretch black denim from FabricMart, purchased a year ago. I don't remember the lycra content, but 5" of the fabric stretched to 7". I prewashed the denim many times.
• White Guterman top-stitching thread (color #20).
• Scraps of lining and double-faced cotton to finish the lower edge of the front knee gusset and the front and back pockets.
• Frixion pens. I used these to mark the back of the denim to mark the darts, where the pocket backing would be exposed, etc. These worked GREAT! After I was done with the markings, they were easily removed with steam from the iron.

Conclusion:

I LOVE these jeans! I have been wearing the blue pair quite a bit and they are SO comfy. And they STAY UP! I just barely managed to get them entered into the jeans contest on Pattern Review. I had to drive to my DD1's place yesterday to use her Mac and struggle with an unfamiliar environment where I didn't have my tools or my passwords. It took me two hours, but I managed to get it done.

If you are a member of Pattern Review (either free or paid), you can VOTE, if you wish.

Pictures Galore!

So happy to get my computer back, I am dancing!


Needle felting the front knee gussets. The knee gusset on the right has the darts sewn in but not yet topstitched.

Front knee gusset, completed.

Back knee gusset, completed.

All of the needle felted bits. Notice the flowering tree in my back yard? In February? It really has been a beautiful spring this winter.

Back pockets. I started with the Jalie Jeans pocket shape and then drafted my own version.

Front pocket backing. I only needle felted the part that shows.

Yes, they are United Nude shoes.

A "Mom Jeans" butt? I am not sure...