Simplicity 8841 in Olive Linen Blend: Perfect Hot Weather Wide(ish)-Legged Cropped Pants

I don't know about you, but here in Reno, our weather has gone from near freezing one night to 90  (32C) the next day.  I guess summer weather is here, and for Reno, that usually means 90-100 degree days.

So what better time to sew up some hot weather clothing?  I've wanted to try Simplicity 8841 for a bit, but I wasn't sure if Mehetabel would like the cropped wide-legged look.  I showed her the pattern and she liked it.  She wanted to try the current trend of cropped pants, even though she wasn't sure if she'd like it on her.

I made a muslin out of some old fabric, knowing that it would not be a wearable muslin. I cut out a size 14 but left the length of the size 22--about an additional 1-1/4 inches.  For the muslin, I did not add any length at the hipline even though I was sure it would be needed. 

Sure enough, Mehetabel needed additional length at the high hip, about an inch. I also added an inch to the waistband so that I could use 2" elastic instead of the 1" called for in the instructions. I had purchased a spool of 2" elastic from Wawak, and figured I might as well use some of it.

I made all these changes to the pattern pieces, but as it turned out, the waistband piece wasn't the right size to begin with! That is, when I added an inch to the pattern piece, it only left me with about a 1/4" seam allowance when using the 2' elastic.  And I should've known something wasn't quite right because I didn't have a 5/8" seam allowance when using 1" elastic with the original pattern piece.  Oh well.  I trimmed the elastic to 1-3/4" and used a 3/8" seam allowance.  Next time, I'll add more to the waistband so I can use my Wawak elastic.

For this version, I used Brussels Washer Linen from Robert Kaufman. I purchased this from Fabric.com for $8.22 per yard. The fabric is a linen rayon blend. I pre-washed the fabric on hot three times, drying it after each wash. I'd read somewhere that doing this would help eliminate some of the wrinkling.  True?  I don't know yet, but I thought I'd give it a try. At the very least, I doubt it will shrink any more!

Except for the snafu with the waistband, this went together quickly and easily.  I sewed all seams on my regular sewing machine, trimmed and finished them with the serger, and hand-stitched the hems.  She's wearing a never-blogged top I made for her years ago. It's made from rayon challis and I cannot remember the pattern.  Probably Simplicity or McCall's. It's turned out to be a very versatile top--great for layering under cardigans in cooler weather, but apparently also great on hot almost-summer days.

As for the pants, I'm very pleased with the result and Mehetabel likes them too.  She's getting used to the cropped length. You know, when you're tall like Mehetabel (and moi), a cropped length like this sometimes feels like you've just outgrown your clothes. I understand this! But, when I talked to her later today, she said that the pants were extremely comfortable and thermally cool. They're a great alternative to shorts.  Here's a "real life" shot of her--this was taken about 7 hours after our photo shoot.  The pants aren't too wrinkly! I will shorten the elastic waistband an inch as the pants are drooping a bit.

A doggy waste bag in one hand and a ginger snap in the other; she's ready for anything!

My First Helen's Closet Blackwood Cardigan

The Helen's Closet Blackwood Cardigan pattern has been splashed all over the internet, and I've been tempted by it for awhile.  But you see, I have a love/hate relationship with PDF patterns.  I love that I can get them immediately, but I hate taping them together.  Storing them is also problematic. So, for my challenge, I put this one together and selected a sweater knit from my stash that I wasn't wild about but would do for a (hopefully) wearable muslin.  

My Meet Cora app tells me I bought three yards of this 64"-wide poly/lycra variegated sweater knit from FabricMartFabrics.com on February 19, 2017.  It was $9.99 per yard.

When I received the knit, I wasn't wild about the color in real life, but I knew I could use it for something.  This initial Blackwood Cardigan was a great choice!  I didn't think the weight of this knit would support the pockets, so I left them off.  Everything else went together smoothly. 

I used a stretch stitch on my sewing machine for all seams, and trimmed/finished them with the serger.  The front facing was finished with the coverstitch.

The shoulders were reinforced with twill tape.

I made this pattern as-is (except for eliminating the pockets).  For future versions, I would consider taking a couple inches off the sleeve length except Mehetabel likes it, and I might eliminate the bottom band and just hem it on my coverstitch.  Comparing the pattern piece to the front of the finished cardigan, it appears the fabric has grown at least an inch.  Drrrrr.  Do you have any suggestions for dealing with growing fabric?  If so, please share!

Today, Mehetabel has paired the (unintentionally extra-long!) cardigan with a New Look 6150 shell in white double knit (blogged here) and Jalie Éléonore jeans (different colors blogged here) in cabernet stretch twill  from Michael Levine; the stretch twill  appears to be only available in hot pink now.  

With a little tweaking, I think the Blackwood cardigan will become a staple in my stable of patterns.

Style Arc Barb Stretch Pants for the Win, Win, Win!

I've probably made about a dozen Jalie Eleonore pull-on jeans for my daughter, Mehetabel, but not too many other pants, and it was past time to remedy that!  Thanks to sales at various fabric stores, I've purchased a number of patterns in different styles: classic tailored trousers, slim side-zipped pants, elastic-waist pants, zippered wide-leg pants-- well, you get the idea.  Then I saw Style Arc's Barb Stretch Pant and thought I'd give that a try even though it meant taping together a PDF pattern (the things I do for my loved ones. Heh).  Although, if I'm going to deal with a PDF pattern, this was a great one because I was able to print just the size I wanted and it didn't have too many pieces.

All this took place in the happy-go-lucky pre-COVID 19 times when one could lark about with other people. Sniff. I was so busy socializing, I just didn't get around to taking pictures or publishing this post until now. But no more socializing for me. Not anymore! I'm staying home; it has been thus for many a week (I'm having a hard time remembering how long it's been!). I only see the members of my quaranteam (Mehetabel, Aloysius, and Carmelita).  Maybe someday that'll change. She said wistfully. 

Oh, enough of that! Back to sewing. I love that the Barb pattern makes a slim but not skinny leg--very work-appropriate for Mehetabel teaching university classes. I compared the crotch and leg of the Eleonore with the Barb and added 1/2" in length above the hips, and another 1-1/2" in length to the legs of the size 12.

I like the refined ponte from Joann, and I've used it to make myself many pants (unblogged).  I have quite a few colors in my fabric closet (who am I kidding?!--like I have just one fabric closet!), and I decided to try one of them with the Barb pattern.  Just a note: I will make Mehetabel some woven, zippered pants, but I thought I'd start with something that--if it's the right size--will be comfortable as well as appropriate for her professional life.  Also, Mehetabel, like me, is into comfortable clothing. Knit and elastic forever!

I had a scant 1-1/2 yard piece of navy ponte from my stash of refined ponte knits which was perfect for what I hoped would be a wearable muslin.

I had a number of problems with construction, but none due to the fabric or pattern!  I was going to use my Pfaff 3.5 to sew the pants but I needed to change the needle to a stretch needle.  I couldn't get the old needle out!  I don't think that's ever happened to me before.  Gah!  I finally found my hemostats and was able to dislodge the stubborn needle.  But, before I was able to fix the needle, I decided to use my Babylock machine instead.  I tested the stretch stitch on a swatch of my fashion fabric and kept getting haystacks on the bottom.  Gah, again!  I fussed with the machine, rethreaded everything, turned it on and off, used a different bobbin, changed the tension, and it remained the same.  The machine was fine with a straight stitch, but I didn't want that!  So, off I went to hunt for my hemostats.  Those hemostats saved the day, because they allowed me to really grip the Pfaff's stuck needle.  This process took hours.  Hours!  And the Babylock was sent to time-out.

Today's project will be to fuss more with the Babylock.  If I were a cursing woman... Oh, wait. I'm afraid I am.

So, eventually, I stitched the pants on the Pfaff, trimmed and finished all seams on the serger (which was very well-behaved, thank you very much).  I pressed up the suggested hem, but didn't finish it as the pants were awaiting their person for a try-on.

Anywho, Mehetabel stopped by a neighborhood crafting meeting I was attending (more socializing!) to try on the pants and determine the hem length. They fit very well! After that, it took no time to hand-stitch the hems.

Mehetabel really likes the pants and says they're super comfortable.  Huzzah!  I quickly made a second pair in gray, and now I'd like to try the pattern out on a stretch woven.  Even though these have an elasticized waistband, they look suitable for the classroom or office (although, for the last 10 -1/2 weeks, she's been teaching via the internet and Zoom-like calls where only her top half is seen).  I think I'll make a pair for myself.  Win, win, win!

This pattern qualifies for my personal challenges: My Pattern Challenge and Conference Capsule. In these photos, Mehetabel is wearing her New Look 6150 shell (blogged here) along with a ready-to-wear cardigan.

My 1st Love Notions Classic Tee (But Not My Last!)

Love Notions Classic Tee

Well, hello! Excuse me for a moment while I dust off this poor, neglected blog. I hope you are all staying healthy and sane. I wake up every morning thinking about what a beautiful day it is and what I'll do. Then I remember. There's a pandemic. Now, I'm not really complaining because I've got a very good situation. It's just that I forget about this global disaster and then I get quite a comeuppance. Every morning.

To try to focus on the positive and to help others, I've made lots and lots of masks. Hundreds. So, a few weeks ago, my son-in-law, Aloysius, said he'd like to learn to sew.  It took about ten minutes to teach him. He picked it up faster than anyone I've ever known. He's a structural engineer and a contractor, so he's a natural (unlike me!).  Anyway, he wanted to learn how to make masks--he already had several that I'd made for him and Mehetabel. So, one Saturday the quaranteam (Aloysius, Mehetabel, Carmelita (his mother), and I) got together. I brought two of my machines, A and M had their machine (a Babylock BL9), and Carmelita brought her 1947 Singer Featherweight.  We had all the supplies and A and M had set up a folding table to cut the fabrics, elastic, bias strips, and pipe cleaners.

We set up all four machines on the dining room table so we could be together. I'm not used to sewing in a group - at least not since 7th grade Home Ec (just one or two years ago!) or in 4-H (also one or two years ago! You probably shouldn't believe anything I write).  It was really nice doing this usually-solo activity with the rest of the quaranteam. We listened to music, chatted, petted puppies, and, of course, made masks.  It was at the beginning of our session that I probably spent ten minutes showing Aloysius how to lift and lower the presser foot, wind a bobbin, thread the machine, sew forward and backstitch, and pivot. That was it!  He was off! And faster than the rest of us. Not that it's a race. Also, we were well supervised by the the very good boys (woof).

Mehetabel and Aloysius conquer the machines

We live in Reno, Nevada, USA, the "Biggest Little City," and witty Mehetabel named our endeavor the "Biggest Little Sweatshop." Such a card. She should be dealt with. That day, I think we made 35 masks. We (safely) mailed or (safely) hand-delivered (to driveways--no people were actually seen) them to friends, colleagues, friends-of-friends, and others.  

From our most recent sewing session: 52 masks!

Now, an organization to which I belong, the Assistance League of Reno Sparks, needs 300+ masks to deliver to low-income seniors and veterans to whom we regularly deliver groceries. These masks will be added to their grocery bags.  The Biggest Little Sweatshop is back in business! This Sunday, we will get together and sew more. We're going to try to knock out fifty.  We have all the supplies except we're running low on pipe cleaners. I've ordered more, but they won't be here in time. No problem, though; adding the pipe cleaner is the last step. A pipe cleaner is put into the nasal (bias) strip and then are shaped to one's nose. Here's the team wearing our own masks. Can you tell we're smiling?

In between bouts of mask-making, I've been sewing for fun.  Here's my latest: a Love Notions Classic Tee.  I chose the crew-neck. This was my first Love Notions pattern and it is a winner.  

These two good boys LOVE Mehetabel!

I used this 70s floral jersey from Mill End Fabrics in Reno, Nevada.  To be clear, this fabric isn't from the 70s, but the print reminds me of a dress I had from way back then.  I chose this fabric because it's not at all slippery and very soft!  And it's cute! 

Now to garment sewing. As I always do, I reinforced the shoulder seams, this time using interfacing. After sewing the shoulder seams, I tackled the neckband (which I rarely have difficulties installing). It was late at night. I shouldn't be allowed to sew after dark, because that's when I make silly mistakes. I should do it first thing in the morning! Oh well. I've learned this lesson before, maybe maybe this time it'll stick! Except this time even though it was late at night and I was very tired, I inserted the neckband without a problem. I used the cover stitch to finish the neckband. After that, I pinned the sleeves to the armscyes and (probably wisely) decided to actually sew them in the morning.

So, the next morning, all I needed to do was sew and serge the sleeves, the side seams, and do the hems. Easy peasy! And here's the finished T-shirt on Mehetabel.

The Love Notions Classic T comes with several sleeve and neck variations, different cup sizes, in sizes XS-5X.  It's looser in the body which I appreciate!  And it was only $5 when I purchased the PDF pattern from their website.  It was easy to tape the pattern together because of the layering feature. This top is size medium.  I definitely have more of these shirts planned.