Oops, I Did it Again (Pretty Much)

Hi all ! 

I recently had a birthday, and my wonderful daughter gave me gift certificates for both Mood and Beyond the Pink Door. Perfect presents for me! I haven't used the Mood gift certificate yet, but I immediately went on Beyond the Pink Door because I'd had my eye on some exclusive prints that the owner, Andrea, had recently commissioned.  The only reason I hadn't purchased any of these exclusive prints is because I did not want to pay the tariff, but since I had the gift certificate, I just went for it!

So, Andrea has six of these exlusive prints. I figured I could only buy one, so it took me a while to whittle down my choices. Eventually, I chose the Summer Bloom in viscose. It arrived last Saturday. I washed it on Sunday. I cut it out on Monday. I sewed it on Tuesday. And I wore it to a luncheon and meeting on Wednesday. Phew!

It is a beautiful, vibrant print. Probably a little bright for my coloring, but I don't care! I had purchased 4 meters of it, thinking I would make a dress. But when I got it, I wanted to do something with it right away. I thought I'd get a lot more wear out of a top since I rarely wear dresses these days.

Immediately, I thought of McCall's 7757, a pattern from 1995, that I recenly made out of rayon challis, blogged here. I made this version just like that rayon challis version. The verdict? I love it! It's probably seasonally inappropriate, but it was 80 degrees when I wore it on Wednesday, so it was perfect.

With some judicious cutting, I have enough fabric left to do something else. I'm thinking I'll make a top for my daughter. And also with judicious cutting, I was able to piece together a scrunchie from the scraps. This one is 18" x 5" with 7.5" of 1/4" elastic looped.

You might have noticed that I haven't followed my edict: if you have a new top, you need new pants. Well, the only reason I didn't make new pants is that I already have at least 3 pairs of pants that go with this top (not counting the jeans I wore in the photos). I have sapphire blue Jalie Eleonores, and both sapphire blue and fuchsia linen Closet Core Pietras.

So, this was a very happy and very quick make. I'm thrilled that this fabric won't languish in my stash. What's my big problem now? It's what to make next! Such problems.

I hope you are making some fabulous things!

Happy sewing ~ Peggy

Prepping for Winter: the Itch-to-Stitch Hepburn Turtleneck

Hi! Well, last Saturday it was hot here, but by Monday it was cold and rainy. Of course, not as cold as it will be later in the year, but still it was downright chilly! Cold enough that I pulled out a turtleneck I made last year: the Hepburn Turtleneck from Itch-to-Stitch. However, I'm a little tired of my current turtleneck selection, so I figured it was time to whip up some new ones.

The Hepburn Turtleneck has a great size range as it comes in sizes 00 to 40. It has been my go-to turtleneck pattern for several years although I've tried others. In cold weather, I've learned that I need my neck to be warm or I'll be uncomfortable. So, every year, I make a bunch of new turtlenecks to rotate into my wardrobe--and, I like variety. 

As I mentioned in my last post, I attended a 3-hour open studio, "Scream Allowance," last Sunday at our downtown library. It was a lot of fun, although I was the oldest there by far! There were six of us, and I'd bet they were all in their 30s and 40s. Nevertheless, it was really nice and I got quite a bit done. I brought my serger and five projects to work on. Now, I didn't think I'd actually get all five done, but just in case, I wanted to be prepared.

I brought a Pete the Cat T-shirt to make for my grandson. Done. And I brought another pair of Pomona Pants for me. Done (except for the hems and sewing down the waist). And I brought 3 Hepburn turtlenecks. One, completely done, and two, just with shoulders and necks attached.

The turtleneck I finished was out of the Art Gallery Mille Fiori fabric--which I used last week, but in rayon woven. This cotton/spandex jersey was purchased from Fabric.com several years ago during one of their sales. Cotton/spandex jersey is my favorite fabric for turtlenecks as it has enough body to hold the collar. I've tried it with rayon but the neck just collapses--although I love the feel of the fabric.

This came together easily. I had cut out and prepped each piece at home by pressing up the hems, adding interfacing to the back shoulders, and pressing the collars in half. I also decided to coverstitch the hems before actually serging the tops so that I could completely finish the tops at the open studio. Not ideal, but it worked just fine. After that, it was easy to put it together. I mostly sewed the turtlenecks in assembly line fashion at the open studio. I serged all the shoulder seams and pressed them, then I pinned all collars to the bodices and serged those. At this point, my assembly line stopped, and I decided to complete each one separately.

I decided to finish the Art Gallery one first, so I pinned and serged the sleeves, and then the side seams. The last piece was to weave the serger threads into the seams--which I did with an embroidery needle I brought with me. FYI, I'll probably wear this with a hoodie/pullowever/cardigan on top. Bonus: I can also wear this with the rayon woven Mille Fiori scrunchie I made last week!

All in all, a fun and satisfying day and I look forward to attending another Scream Allowance at the end of October.

If you have a chance to attend a sewing social, I highly recommend it! It's so nice to meet others who share similar interests.

I hope you are doing well and having fun getting ready for the changing weather! 

Happy sewing ~ Peggy

I'm Back and with a New Outfit!

Hellooooo? Anybody there?! I've taken quite a break, but I thought I'd come back on to share some of my recent makes.

By the way, I also have a YouTube channel, Bespokeability Sewing, which I have also neglected--but not for as long as I have this poor blog. However, I have realized that I really enjoy writing about my sewing adventures, so I thought, "Why not come back?"

I have been sewing for multiple people; me, my daughter, her husband, my grandson, and my granddaughter. It's lots of fun, and I like sewing for a variety of different ages, genders, and circumstances.

I'll start by sharing a recent summer outfit I've made for myself. I do like to sew outfits! I used the Closet Core Patterns Pietra Pants in the cropped, wide-legged version. I made quite a few of these last summer, and I see no reason to stop! For the top, I used the Zoey Blouse by Atelier Jupe, but with several changes.

I made the top once last summer, basically as designed, except I eliminated the sleeve band and added elastic. Last summer's top was made out of a Nerida Hansen fabric I got in a Think Pink box from Beyond the Pink Door. 

This new top is in a size 44, and is made from a dotted Swiss that I bought at Mill End Fabrics in Reno, Nevada. Maybe it's called a dobby--it's not the traditional dotted Swiss that I'm used to, but I like the little tufts on the fabric. It's nice and lightweight--perfect for our hot weather! However, it's quite sheer. I don't know why I didn't underline it! I guess I wanted to make it as light as possible. This means, though, that I will be wearing a nude-to-me camisole under it--which kind of defeats the purpose!

For the top, I lowered the bust dart by an inch (gravity! 😏), and I cut off the bodice under the bust. I added a peplum, and added more volume and length to the sleeves. Why not?! I like the changes I've made, and being white, this top will be super versatile, although it is quite sheer.

The peplum is just 2 rectangles totaling 1.75 times the circumference of the upper bodice. I finished the hem by hand.

The sleeves are finished with bias tape and elastic.

The top doesn't have any closures. The neckline is finished with a facing made of cotton batiste because I didn't want the texture of the dotted Swiss on the inside. I tested white batiste to see if it would show under the fashion fabric; I decided to change it to a light beige (color: rice) batiste which is closer to my skin tone.

This is a simple top, but I love it. It's exactly what I wanted for this outfit. Next time, though, I'll lengthen the bodice by an inch--and I won't sew such a sheer fabric!

I will re-visit this pattern again, and I have a few more changes I'd like to try.

To go with the top, I made another pair of the aforementioned Pietra Pants.

I made a size 10 in these in the cropped, wide-legged version. This pattern also comes with a tapered leg or with shorts. The only change I've made was to add some length. These pants have a faced, flat front, and an elasticated back. They have super pockets--and I'm not a particular pocket fan--but these don't interfere with the hip line, they're roomy, and I like the interest they add to the front of the pants.

This pattern has great instructions and these pants are not difficult. The only thing I found slightly tricky was the pocket construction. I've learned, though, that if I press the pocket piece at the fold line (right sides together) early on, it'll help me later when I go to install them. 

The front facing is also called a waist stay in the instructions, and it is just that. I really like the security it provides over my tummy, yet it is extremely comfortable.

The fabric for these pants is a Lady McElroy Cruise Washed Linen in Caribbean Blue. It is 100% linen and has been enzyme treated. I've used this fabrication at least twice before and I like it very much. I purchased this from Stonemountain and Daughter in Berkeley, California.

These pants were also hemmed by hand. They call for topstitching, and that would be fine, but I like the clean finish of a hand-sewn hem. 

Last summer, I made these pants in red, sapphire blue, pink, peach--and I'm probably forgetting some! Will I make more? I'm not ruling it out!!

Anyhoo, thank you for coming back to my poor, neglected blog! I hope to be back fairly soon (i.e. way less than 3 years!) with more recent outfits I'm concocting. And who knows, I might also resurrect my YouTube channel!

I hope you are having fun at the sewing machine and enjoying the weather wherever you are!

Happy sewing ~ Peggy