Blackwood Cardigan Round 2

Unless you've been vacationing on Mars, you've seen all the love shown to the Blackwood Cardigan by Helen's Closet.  

All this love is for good reason.  This pattern is awesome!  It looks good in so many different fabrics and every version I see is so cute!  

In reorganizing my current sewing space to move to another, I am seriously wondering about my over-flowing stash and why I am hanging onto some fabrics for so long.  This floral knit mesh is one of those fabrics.  When I pulled it out again, it was like the creativity train hit me upside the head and the Blackwood Cardi came into site.  Bingo! 

This pattern can be totally sewn on the serger if you'd like.  It is drafted exceptionally well and versatile.  What else can I say about it?  

In case you are wondering about the length, I did add 4" to the bottom.  Since this is summer-weight, I also left off the cuffs and hemmed them.  I knew I'd be pushing them up.  If I pull them down, they are bracelet-length.  

With this ultra light weight fabric, I stabilized the shoulders and back neckline with SewkeysE tape 1/2" wide.  For the hemline I used 1" SewkeysE tape in clear so it's double sided. This stuff works like a dream!  

I did leave off the pockets since I knew I'd be wearing this over something that most likely had pockets.  

For the cami, I had a bit of this vibrant fabric left and since remnants aren't welcome in my sewing room any more, I decided to make a tank to wear under this cardi.  The pattern I chose is this one: 

As you can see, this is by Itch to Stitch.  This pattern is FREE!

I love testing different pattern companies FREE patterns and this one was a pleasure to sew.  I had fun color-blocking it with my remnants.  

Plus, it was a fun challenge to use the mesh as the binding at the neckline and arms.

Enough for now!  

Thanks for reading!

Sue 

StyleArc Gem Knit Tee

Today for you I have another top, this time an knit tee from StyleArc.  I am such a SA fan!  

Here's what this one looks like: 

If you've sewn a SA pattern before, you know the instructions are very sparse.  However, if you've made a tee shirt, you don't even need directions.  

For this top, I was scrap-busting.  The solid front was a remnant.  The black lace was from my stash.  It's a designer lace from Fabric Mart.  You'll notice the back hem is longer than the front.  It's also curved.

I used the lace on the sleeves as well.  For the sleeves, I wanted them slightly flared.  I slashed the sleeves in six places and put a 1/4" insert to add almost an inch to the total space.  I had hoped it would flare a bit more but I should have known with the limited amount I added that it wouldn't be dramatic at all.  

I didn't hem the sleeves.  I found an area of the lace to just cut around and that design became the hem.  

For the lower hemline, I used clear SewkeysE hem tape that was an inch wide.  I like using one-inch hems in my knits so they don't curl.  I used the same tape only 1/2" wide to stabilize the shoulders.

I found this tee a bit snug for me through the shoulder area.  In measuring my shoulder breadth, I added across the back neck area between the points where the neck and shoulder join.  I also added from the neck/shoulder junction to the shoulder area.

I used Designer Joi's method to fit the bust area.  I so love her method!

Now that I have a good fit on this tee, you'll see more of these!

Thanks for reading!

Sue

Olive, round 2

See, I told you there would be another Olive Spliced Tee from StyleArc.  Here's my latest version.  This time I used a knit.

All three fabrics were remnants from other projects.

The floral, is a Cotton and Steel knit.  It is soft as can be and sews like a dream.

The black and white a Stof.  I so love their knits.

My only deviation from the pattern was to make a patch pocket instead of the inseam pocket.  

I am pretty pleased with my make!

Thanks for reading!

Sue 

Another summer dress--Jalie Nikita

Hi all,

Summer has arrived in full fury and I decided to sew some clothing for the HOT weather.  The pattern I used is the Nikita Workout Tank and Dress.  I made the dress.  Here's an image of the pattern.  

I love the swing style, the racerback and the side seams that end at the front of the dress.  

Here's my make: 

This is made entirely of remnants from other projects.  I consider that to be a free project.  Right?  

This dress is so perfect in hot weather.  It was a high of 96 today with a 'feels like' temp of 112 at its highest.  

I used three fabrics from Stof.  These knits are so amazing.  They sew like a dream.  

I do like the back.  It covers what you need to for a racer-back bra.  It doesn't cover it all, but enough.  

Here is a closer-up of the front.  The bands are very narrow.  I typically like my bands a bit wider.  When I made another version, I will widen these by about a 1/2".  For Jalie patterns, use your full-bust measurement.  It works.

Here's a bit closer of the back.  You can see how the front panel starts at the back.

I can't wait to try the workout top!

Thanks for reading!

Sue

Simplicity 8790 in Stof

As soon as this pattern came out, I began hoping it would show up at my local JoAnns.  Once it was sold out and the next time Simplicity was on sale, I was finally able to get it in my hot little hands. 



I am such a sucker for knit dress and I love hoods.  Simplicity's embracing of Indy pattern designers is awesome!  This pattern is by Sew House Seven.  I've made several of their designs and have had great success.  I will count this one as successful too! 

Easy fit, comfortable, and it's a knit dress!  What more can you ask for?  It also has these great roomy patch pockets. 

Here's a close-up of the front portion of the hood.  The very front of the hood has a high neckline.  At first I wondered if I should redraw it but decided to leave it alone.  One thing you'll notice about the pattern envelope is that for this view, the lovely young lady is wearing her hood up so you can't see how high the neckline is. 

Here's the back of the hood.  It's rather small and doesn't overpower the dress or the back neckline. 

Here's a look at the pockets.  They are nice and deep.  To keep these from sagging or getting wonky, I used SewKeysE woven stay tape on the sides and double sided hem tape on the top portion of the pocket. 

My photographer, always gets me with goofy looks on my face. 
 

We had to take photos outside today.  It was above zero degrees, the sun is shining, and the wind isn't really blowing.  Count today as a win! 

The blousing is just perfect on this, I think.  Not too much, not too little. 

Here's a look at the back, or I should say side-back.  I should mention the fabric.  This is a Stof knit that I purchased from a recent trip to see my daughter, granddaughter, and son-in-law.  I wish we had this nice of knits locally.   

Thanks for reading!  I hope your weather is improving where you live!

Sue

Playing with fit, McCall's 6886

Recently I attended a workshop where we talked about fit and I realized I have a lot more work on achieving the perfect fit.  I choose to work with my current favorite, McCall's 6886.  Knits, I feel, are much more difficult to get a great fit on because well, they show everything you've got and then some.  I thought that in working to get that just-right fit, I needed to work with knits.  

In case you've been living under a bridge and haven't seen all the hype about this pattern, here is McCall's 6886.  

There are so many adorable versions of this dress.  The pattern is well drafted, has a variety of reviews, and is such an instant-gratification project.  

Here's what I did.  

I used a book by Designer Joi's book, Creating the Perfect Fit.  This book has you work on your fit by dividing your body into numerous quadrants and then dividing those even smaller.  I've never seen a system like this and I must say I am quite smitten!  

Don't confuse movement lines with flaws in the fit.  And, I should also note, I am much too old to have something fit skin tight.  Not only would that look dreadful but that just isn't me!  In order to deal with my swayback, I added a seam line vertically across the back waist.  This seemed to be the best solution given my fabric choice.  

I will say however that I do need to work on the fit in the bust area or the upper under arm.  I will have to read more and experiment more to figure this out.

Yes, very dumb look on my face!  When the hubby takes photos, he manages to catch the worst looks!

I like the v-neck on this a lot!  It isn't too low but still gives you a different look.  

Here's a close up of the v-neck. 

I used a Stof knit for this dress and I am so in love with the fabric!

What are you working on in your sewing goals this time of the year?  Do you have any inspiration to share?

Sue :)

Yet another version of McCall's 6886

Have you seen enough of this pattern yet?  

Please say no, as I feel like I am just getting started!  It's such a blank canvas to let your imagination run wild! 

This is such a simple, simple design that is really well drafted.  Every version I've seen looks great!  This is also a great pattern to hack to your heart's content, which is what I am going to experiment with in the future.  

Here's what I did with it this time.  

I am sort of obsessed with Alabama Chanin's embellishing lately land this time, I wanted to add some 'stripes' to my fabric.  When I talked to DH about this, he was skeptical and thought the dress would look like something made in a weekend craft shop.  Tsk, tsk! I hoped he was wrong, but wondered the same thing.  Since both pieces of the fabric I was planning on using were left overs from other projects, I decided to give it a whirl anyway!

Here is what I came up with: 

What do you think?  

Of course you can see I hacked the pattern to color block it.  

Of course you can see where I added the hand embroidery to the strips of fabric to make my 'stripes'.  

I used Chanin's embroidery book,The Geometry of Hand Sewing.    It has very clear illustrations and a helpful plastic template to assist you in marking where your stitches will go in order to create symmetrical designs.  

For my embroidery, I knew I wanted a contrast color and I love this mustard-yellow with the gray and white.  This is just plain ol' embroidery floss from Hobby Lobby.  I separated it into three strands and just went to town!  

For the hacking part, I cut the bodice and skirt separately and sewed them together.  I pinned the lower and upper half together and manipulated the length of each until I was happy.  

I am really in love with this dress!  When I showed it to DH, he was so very pleasantly surprised that he simply stopped what he was doing, smiled his little half-smile and said, "Wow!"  Isn't that one of the best compliments of all???

Thanks for reading!  What is inspiring you lately?  Do tell!

Sue 

StyleArc Eden Dress--Love!!!

Here is one of my latest makes...the StyleArc Eden Knit dress.  Can I say, it's love?  

This dress is so freaking comfortable!  It has some super fun seaming and pockets.  Normally, I hate pockets in knit dresses since they add girth to my already curvy figure, so with these being on the front princess seams, I knew they were worth a try.  

Would yo look at those pockets?  They are in the perfect position.  For reference, I am 5'7".  Most of my height is in my legs.

For this dress, I made a FBA, sloping shoulder, and swayback adjustment--these are standard for me.

Normally I don't need a FBA but I knew that with this dress to look right, I would need one.  

With the high-low hemline, this dress is super fun.  It has a rather casual vibe, which is perfect.

My only deviation from the pattern (sorry, I didn't take a close-up of it) but I made the v-neck a cross-over instead of having a center seam at the v.  Hopefully that makes sense. I also used SewkeysE stay tape at the hem edges.

Did I mention this fabric at all?  This is a cotton-Lycra mix from Stof.  This stuff is so amazing.  It is soft, holds its shape, and feels so wonderful on your skin.  I so highly recommend this manufacturer!

Thanks for reading!

What say you?  Do you have a favorite fabric manufacturer like I do?  I have this one and also Telio.  

What's yours?

Sue :)