Making Memories

Six Months. This fabric has been waiting for six months, since I captured it from the fabric department at the Karstadt department store in Frankfurt, Germany, last November. It was similar in print and hand to the “Poster City” rayon/lycra print I got from Emma One Sock last year. The new fabric has waited patiently through the brutal winter we just endured. And now its time has come.

I’ve been pondering pattern choice for this fabric periodically over the six months. I thought I wanted a simple top because of the busy-ness of the pattern. However, after making a Butterick 5925, View A, for a friend a couple of weeks ago, I wanted to make one for myself. So I laid the fabric out and thought I had enough. But I lengthened the body by 2″, so I didn’t really have enough.

Could I have chosen a different pattern? Sure. I have a wide variety of patterns that I haven’t tried yet that would have only required the two metres I purchased. But—stubborn me—I wanted this top in this fabric. So I cut out what I could: back, front, godet, and (I think) collar.

Then I snuggled into my bed with my iPad and started looking around for either more of this print or a coordinating print or solid that would go well for sleeves and pockets. I found several possibilities online at Mood Fabrics and ordered swatches. In a few days I can audition them with the “poster print” fabric and see what I like.

My helper was in place tonight, doing his part to assist impede my progress.

Last week I ordered more Soft Stretch Fusible Tricot interfacing from Sarah Veblen. So tonight I stabilized and sewed the shoulder seams, then stabilized and pressed up the hem. Once I choose the companion fabric, I’ll be that much closer to completion. I might even be able to have it done before I drive to the mountains of Western North Carolina after Memorial Day for my mother’s 101st birthday.

I’m participating in #mmmay14, but I’ve been posting daily photos on Facebook rather than posting them here.

May 3, 2014 Handknit sweater “Knit Kimono”	May 4, 2014 Butterick 5523	May 5, 2014 Vogue 8859 Safety Scarf
May 6, 2014 Top: Vogue 8582 Pants: Vogue 8859	May 7, 2014 Vogue 8859	May 8, 2014 Hemlock Tee Vogue 8859
May 9, 2014 Vogue 8793	May 10, 2014 Vogue 8817	May 11, 2014 Vogue 8817
May 13, 2014 McCall’s 6035	May 14, 2014 Vogue 7637	May 15, 2014 Butterick 5961

My goal over the next few months is to destash—by sewing the pieces I love and getting rid of the ones that make me wonder what I was thinking. I picked up this piece of hemp/organic cotton knit from EmmaOneSock last September. It’s been lying on top of a box ever since, calling to me every time I walk into my sewing room. I had thought I wanted to make Grainline Studio’s Hemlock Tee. So cute, so easy, so comfortable. But when I started pawing through my patterns, I realized I wanted to make another of Katherine Tilton’s Butterick 5961. I’ve made three already, but each of those just not perfect. On the first, the fabric was too soft to make the neck stand up nicely. The second just feels big and boxy, and the third feels big and sloppy and looks like a sports jersey. Well, sorta.

So I decided to make one more 5961, and cut it a size smaller. I had one sleeve in last night, and only side seams and hems to go when I just gave out. After the horrible winter, now we’re having heavy pollen. My eyes were just burning and I couldn’t look at another stitch.

Rain overnight made the morning more bearable. I decided to take a walk this morning, then went right into the sewing room, knowing I’d want to wear the top as soon as it was finished.

But when it was finished and I slipped it on, I still didn’t like it. It still wasn’t “just right.” And yet I’d been guarding and protecting that fabric for so long, I wanted to like it. So embellishment was the only answer.

Pattern Description: Very loose-fitting, pullover top has collar and shaped armholes. Designed for moderate stretch knits.

Pattern Sizing: B5(8-10-12-14-16), F5(16-18-20-22-24)
I normally cut a 16 in Katherine Tilton’s designs, but the “very loose-fitting” description and my previous experience led me to cut a 14.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes.

Were the instructions easy to follow?Yes. Really the only tricky think is the corners on the sleeves.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? To me, the sleeve detail makes it a nice departure from the standard tee shirt.

Fabric Used: Hemp/Organic Cotton Jersey from Emma One Sock.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
This is my fourth go-round with this pattern. The first three all seemed a little boxy. However, the fabric I used for those also had more stretch than this hemp/cotton jersey. I cut a 14 rather than a 16, but I did the sleeve seams at ⅜” rather than ⅝”.

I added 1.75″ to the length of the front and back. I’m 5’8″.

On the first top I made, the neck was too floppy. It just lies there. I tend to wear a handknit cowl with it to disguise the sleepy collar. In the third, I actually interfaced the collar. It was a little better, but still not just right. For this one, I used Marcy and Katherine’s trick of offsetting the collar and basting before sewing into the neckline. On one long side of the collar, I marked notches that were 1.5″ to the right of the existing notches. I also marked a point 1.5″ to the right of the center back seam line. I sewed the center back seam, then matched up the off-center notches, basted, and sewed in place with a double seam. After trimming and pressing, I slipped it over my head and was in love. Great improvement.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I won’t sew it again, as four is enough. I haven’t made the pants yet, and may try those. I would recommend it.

Conclusion: Cute easy-to-wear top will make a great addition to my spring/fall wardrobe. The hemp/cotton seems like it will be too warm for summer wear.

So how did I get from “meh” to “hey, great!”? Embellishment.

I’m a student of Diane Ericson, Marcy Tilton, and Nancy Shriber. Diane has a great line of stencils, and leads great workshops in how to add a Wow factor to your garments with ink, paint, dye, and stenciling. Marcy Tilton has a line of silkscreens.

I typically use Marcy’s silkscreens, but today I wanted to use a stencil. Diane’s “Global Shapes” stencil was hanging next to my cutting table, so I grabbed it, then found silver and russet metallic Lumiere paints, gloves, brushes and sponges, and some plastic lids. Grabbing a piece of cardboard to stick in-between the front and back, I was ready to embellish.

I marked the center point on the front and stamped the cool multi-line circle in silver. Then I decided it needed friends, so moved up one stripe and stamped another circle to the left of the original, then rotated the circle a little and stamped on to the right. But there was a large unadorned center in each circle group, so I poured some russet, and used three of the five en-point squares (center right in the photo) to add a little color to the center of each circle set.

One thing I learned from Nancy Shriber that I practice with every piece of wearable art is, “You not only enter a room, you also leave.” I love putting a little something on the back of garments to surprise viewers when I turn around. I used the curved rectangle and just sponged around the edges, not through the entire rectangle. When that was dry, I stamped three more russet squares, then brushed a little with the russet in the lower righthand corner.

I was done, and I was in love. The striped shirt, by itself, was borrrring. The striped shirt with the metallic embellishments, but fun and—to my eye—chic.

I’ve always felt inept with stencils and paints, but today I felt very, very ept. This project, my friends, was a success!

(And—if I may brag—look at those perfectly matched seams!)

I’m participating in Me-Made-May ’14.

What is it, you ask?

Me-Made-May’14 (MMM’14 for short) is a challenge designed to encourage people who sew/knit/crochet/refashion/upcycle garments for themselves to actually wear and love them. The me-made and self-stitched challenges have been taking place for over four years now and they work on both a personal and community level. The participants decide the specifics of their own challenge pledge, so that the month is appropriate and challenging for them …. A very common pledge is for a participant to aim to wear one self-stitched or refashioned garment each day for the duration of May 2014. The participants can also choose to document their challenge with daily photos (though this is in no way compulsory for taking part) and share them with other participants ….

You can click on the Me-Made-May ’14 button at the top of the right nav to read more.

I didn’t sign any pledges or swear any oaths. I’m more of a make-up-my-mind-and-do-it kinda gal. And my week leading up to this was so busy that I completely forgot until I was dressing to Cleveland on Saturday for my final Cleveland Orchestra Chorus performance of the season. I dug into my sweater drawer and pulled out a handknit sweater from two years ago to throw over Tacky Polyester Performance dress. (You know, don’t you, that I’m joking whenever I utter those words? That dress could be SOOOO much worse. It actually works just fine, although I stick my nose up at the polyester.)

Me-Made-May isn’t about making something during May, but I did make another Kristen’s Kimono Tee by Maria Denmark yesterday. And when it was done I didn’t like it. It’s going in a package to be sent to Amarillo. DS’s DGF has to learn to tell me if she doesn’t like something I make, otherwise her wardrobe of tees to throw on over leotard and tights or jeans is going to overflow. (If you don’t have a dancer in your framework of friends, get one quick! They’re the best. They always need another tee or sweatshirt or cardigan or scarf.)

I’m going to run downstairs when I’m done with this post and cut and sew a quick Grainline Hemlock Tee. That fabric has been sitting around for eight months and needs to be cut!! Then in the next couple of days I’m going to cut into the rayon/lycra knit print I picked up in Frankfurt, Germany, on my Cleveland Orchestra and Chorus tour last November.

Stay tuned, and see my Me-Made-May ’14 album on Facebook.

I posted earlier today about a piece of fabric I purchased from MarcyTilton.com that just wasn’t my color. It was then designated for a dear friend, and constructed with her in mind.

This is my first review of View A/B. My previous garment from this pattern was View C/D.

Pattern Description: Pullover top has neckline and pocket variations, seam detail, and shaped hemine. A: slightly draped neck and pocket bands.

Pattern Sizing: XSmall to XXLarge. I cut a Medium. Because this was for a long, lean woman who plans to wear it with leggings, I cut the body 2″ longer.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes

Were the instructions easy to follow? I only used the instructions for the neckband and pocket bands.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? Love the design. Think the offset neckbands and pocket bindings are wonderful.

I don’t like the bottom of the pocket. Whether this happens because of the weight of the pocket or is by design, I wasn’t crazy about it. When double-stitching the hem, the stitching continues across the bottom of the pockets, but then the fabric above the stitching hangs down over the stitching. I don’t know the solution. Maybe stop the double-stitching at the pocket seams? This one is going to require some thinking.

Fabric Used: Polyester microfiber from Marcy Tilton. Wonderful fabric!

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: I added two inches to the front and back. However—oops!—I neglected to add that same two inches to the godet. I stitched the godet in from the bottom up, stopping at the large circle. I stitched the side seam from just below the armscye to the sleeve hem. Then I drew a line from the side seam at the armscye down to the large circle and stitched that. I lost about 3″ in circumference just above the large circle, but it fits fine, and that’s all that matters!

Next time I’ll remember to add the 2″ to the godet!

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? This is my second one. This version is for a friend. I’ll be making another View A for me!

Conclusion: Lovely, chic and yet comfortable. Another Tilton success.

Update: Gift recipient all dresses and ready to hop on a plane for the long flights from Amarillo to Istanbul. She’s happy to have this very comfortable top to wear.

Three tests gone bad very good for someone else, not me.

Test #1: A new-to-me designer and indie pattern maker, MariaDenmark. Open the website, sign up for her newsletter, and you receive a free downloadable pattern for her Kirsten Kimono Tee. Maria’s tagline is “for clothes you wear every day.”

A downloadable pattern, if you’ve never used one, is a PDF file you download, print on regular 8.5″x11″ copy paper, then tape together along printed lines. Some have only one or two sizes; some have all sizes.

I grabbed a remnant of the Gorgeous poly/rayon/lycra knit that I used for Katherine Tilton’s Butterick 5925. The pattern doesn’t include seam allowances. Being lazy that day, I opted to just cut one size too large rather than tracing out with seam allowances. Yeah, I know. Dumb. I first cut the hem, then moved up to the neckline and cut the wrong size! Double dumb!

This error wasn’t something one could redo, and there are always friends clamoring for my garments. So I just sewed it up, tried it on, thought “yes, I’d like one of these in my size,” and finished it to give to a friend.

I will try more of Maria’s patterns. They truly are designs you can wear every day.

Test #2: I’ve sewn a couple of garments from Australia’s StyleArc. My only complaint is they only include one pattern size in the envelope, not like bigger companies that include 6 sizes or all sizes in one envelope. The multi-size practice lets you allow for figure variances. With a single size pattern (i.e. size 14 or size 16, not one-size-fits-all …) you have to compare your body measurements to the size chart on the pattern envelope. And then hope for the best.

When I have bought several StyleArc patterns, but this is only the second one I’ve made. The first one was from a loose-knit fabric that had a lot of stretch. The amount of stretch in a fabric affects the fit. Much stretch = loose; little stretch = tight.

I’ve been begging Marcy Tilton for months to try to find some silk jersey for her store. She finally got her hands on some black silk jersey and I grabbed several yards. This is exquisitely beautiful fabric. Here’s a similar silk knit from Marcy. The “hand” of the fabric—how it feels—is wonderful. You want several garments from this fabric, including a pair of pajamas!!

One of the StyleArc patterns I had purchased was the Cate’s Cousin top. It’s a t-shirt with a cowl neck and dropped shoulders, and I was sure it would look lovely on me.

The silk jersey is a fairly stable knit, easy to sew and with a reasonable amount of stretch. Not too much, not too little. I quickly made up the size 14, adding a little pocket inside the cowl drape so I could insert a quarter to weight it down. I didn’t really like the back neck binding method, but was in one of my I only have a few minutes to sew periods, so went ahead and finished it up. (See my little “quarter” pocket in the photo?)

When Spousal Equivalent got home from work, I tried it on. He looked at me, and the rolls of Winter Warmth around my waist and said, “Unh uh.”

The lovely Cate’s Cousin silk top was placed on a hanger and hung alongside the #1 test above.

Test #3: Color. I knit a beautiful cashmere cowl a few months ago. When I selected the Very Expensive cashmere yarn—online, of course—I thought the shades of red in the yarn would go with the beloved red top from Katherine Tilton’s Butterick 5725 that I made last year. I finished the cowl, then put it on with the red top and just shook my head. Back to my favorite online fabric stores, I found a beautiful Garnet Red Parisian Microfiber Knit at MarcyTilton.com. I ordered two yards. When it came in, I held up up to the knit cowl and rejoiced. Then I held it up to my face, against my “autumn” coloring, and lost all my joy. This garnet red fabulous fabric was not for me.

So it was made up in Katherine Tilton’s Butterick 5925, the same pattern I used for the red top, but in View A, with round neck, twisted binding, and pockets on each side, with the same twisted binding. This pattern goes together quickly and is a very versatile style. It’s finished now, and the cowl looks great with it.

It, too, is on a hanger, with #1 and #2. The beneficiary flew in from Texas yesterday and will try them on tonight to see if she really really wants them. (She told me yesterday she doesn’t care how big they might be on her. She wants them!!)

The third time is the charm, right. Thinking twice about future fabric purchases, adding seam allowances to my next Kirsten Kimono Tee, and buying some size 16 patterns from StyleArc.

My almost-39yo son’s first-ever vocal recital (with me as his accompanist!) mandated I make a new dress. I saw and purchased Butterick 5523 about nine months ago—when I noticed the pattern, it struck me as a classic style that would be flattering to my figure.

As I posted recently, I had a very stressful week leading up to this weekend of performances. I grabbed bits of time wherever possible, and then ran up against a brick wall when I realized I had basted one set of pleats in backwards and sewed the wrong side of one skirt piece to the right side of the other. Argh!

After lots of piano practice, I felt comfortable grabbing another hour of sewing time on Saturday morning and then a final hour on Sunday morning. And I won the race!

Voila! A new take on the musician’s de riguere black performance attire.

Here’s the review:

Pattern Description: Close fitting, A-line, above mid-knee length, pullover dress has draped collar, front and back pleats, concealed elastic casing, long sleeve with pleats at cap, back tab with non-functioning buttons, topstitching and stitched hems.

Pattern Sizing: 8-24. When I sew any of Katherine Tilton’s Butterick patterns, I cut a 16. But I was a little anxious about this bodice length (i.e., where the empire waist would fall), so cut a size 18 bodice from some scrap knit I had around. I was very happy with the 18, so cut that of the selected fabric.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes.

Were the instructions easy to follow? Very easy.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
Like: Classic style will never be outdated. Empire waist and gentle pleats hide my long-cold-winter belly.
Dislike: Don’t have enough yardage of anything else to make it again immediately! 🙂 Love this dress!

Fabric Used: Black 4-way stretch nylon/acetate/lycra blend from GorgeousFabrics.com. If this link doesn’t work, search the site for “swiss 4-way stretch”. For the cowl collar and sleeves, I used a rayon/poly blend from Mood Fabrics.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: I always stabilize the shoulder seams of knit tops with a ¾” strip of knit interfacing such as HTC’s SofKnit or Bosal’s soft stretch fusible tricot. On the hems, I cut strips of the same interfacing that are the hem depth, fuse in place, then use the edge of the interfacing as my guide to fold and press the hem. This little hidden helper makes double-needle topstitching the hems in place go like the wind!

I had to skimp on the hem. Next time I will add 1″ to the length when cutting. (I’m 5’8″.)

I did not add the back tab, partly because of time and partly because I felt the dress just didn’t need it. I’m not sorry I skipped that step.

Collar/neckline: A little low. I took tiny safety pins and pinned the collar out closer to the sleevehead at the shoulder seam. This made it look more like a portrait neckline and made the décolleté a little less obvious. I may sew snaps there for future use, and will cut the next version 1″ higher at the center front.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? Yes and Yes.

Conclusion: Anyone who knows me well knows that I don’t like being the center of attention. That’s why I’m an accompanist (“Collaborative Keyboard Artist”) rather than a soloist. In wearing this dress to accompany my son in a solo recital, I felt elegant and refined. Very presentable; very self-assured. A win!

A few more pictures. A back view; the great cutout “lace” fabric; a flash photo of the front so you can see how nicely the pleats drape.

Stylin’: Black microfiber tights. I don’t remember the brand, but the microfiber makes garments slide across these tights. They have a sheen and are so much nicer than the regular tights that grab the fabric around them.
Munro ‘Robyn’ boot in black. Perfect for performances. Stable, good support, and heels just the right height for arthritic knees.