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.

About two months ago my son suggested we do a recital together. He is a “mercenary Episcopalian,” the paid singer/soloist at a nearby Episcopal church. He agreed to do this recital as part of their Sunday afternoon concert series, and the offering to be taken would benefit the church’s music program. Unfortunately, the only date open coincided with the final performance in the Cleveland Orchestra and Chorus’s four-concert series of the Mozart Requiem. (It also ended up coinciding with the launch of a new website for Kent State, for which Tyler had much responsibility. Can you say “stress”?)

Concert week with Cleveland means I have to be at Severance Hall every night of that week. That’s over three-and-a-half hours out of every day just for the driving. Plus an extra half-hour or more (depending on weather and road conditions) to get there, park, walk in, “use the facilities,” find my assigned seat, and take a deep breath. And another three-and-a-half hours for rehearsal/performance. Are you doing the math?

Also during the day I need time to practice my repertoire for the evening rehearsal/performance. And I need to rehearse for my son’s recital. And I’m acting as campaign treasurer for a friend who is running for the Ohio House of Representatives, and the secretary of state doesn’t like treasurers to file late reports.

Of course I wanted a new dress to wear for the performance. To make, not to buy. The problem was finding the time—I already had fabric and patterns.

I carved half-hour and hour-long chunks out of the available time whenever I could. And then this happened, (sharing my Facebook post of Friday morning):

I. Drive. Myself. Crazy. That is all.

(For the appreciation of my creative friends, I sewed the wrong side of the skirt back to the right side of the skirt front. Black fabric with black thread. Double-stitched seams. Now grumbling as I rip out about four yards of thread. Realizing I may not have a new dress to wear to Sunday’s recital. )

And my comment:

Jas – bless his heart – said, “Honey, you have so many beautiful things you can wear. You’re the only person who will know what you’re wearing is not new.”

Last night as we got into bed after I wore my new dress (see next blog post…), I asked the Jazzman if he liked it. He said, “You’re nuts.” Of course, he used his most loving voice to make that comment, but I knew exactly what he meant. I’m good at driving myself crazy.

A month ago I bought StyleArc Patterns’ Sunny Top. To me it looked cute, easy, and chic. At the time the pattern arrived, we were still knee-deep in snow, and a sweater knit I had bought from Gorgeous Fabrics several years ago was begging to be released from my stash. I could picture it as Sunny, paired with dark brown leggings as the perfect excuse for a pair of brown low-heeled booties.

Last week I was able to carve a couple of hours out of campaign work and sewed up Sunny in my brown and rust sweater knit.

Easy. Quick. Straightforward. Ugly. Butt-ugly. The Jazzman, who will never say to me, “You look nice today” (I assume this means I always look nice so there’s nothing out of the ordinary that requires commenting upon.), looked at me staring into the full-length mirror and said, “That’s not flattering.” He hit that nail on the head!

I realized I need to pay more attention to the StyleArc fabric suggestions. When the pattern envelope back says “slinky knit,” I need to cut into a slinky knit. (I’m using “slinky” here as an adjective, not as a proper noun.) StyleArc thoughtfully attaches a switch of the original fabric with the fabric. I will henceforth and forevermore pay attention!

I still liked the pattern. I just didn’t like it in that too-heavy sweater knit. Doing a little late-night online fabric shopping, I picked up a length of PRL (polyester/rayon/lycra) from Gorgeous Fabrics. Ann Steeves has a new website at GF—if you’re a fabriholic, it’s a must-see. This RPL is the same fabric I used for two tops I made for my November trip to Europe with the Cleveland Orchestra and Chorus (Top 1 and Top 2). It has a very cuddly-sweatery feeling without being winter-warm. The color of this new top means I’ll wear it all spring (which is almost here) and into the summer.

Here’s the review:

Pattern Description: SUNNY KNIT TOP: This is a new shape for a knit top. The oversized look becomes very flattering because of pattern drafting and the cocoon shape which is the new on trend look. Try it, you will love it!!

Pattern Sizing: 4-30. I get very nervous with patterns that are not multi-sized, but took the plunge for this cute top. I wear a 38DD bra; size 14 says 40.2″ bust. It fits fine.

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, although it does not tell you when to sew the center back seam. Do it either before or after you sew the shoulder seams. (I think it should be step 4a.)

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I looked for reviews before cutting into the fabric and couldn’t find any. Now I find two – both saying the same thing: the sleeves are tight. Actually, I’m more bothered by the tightness of the armscye. That needs to be fixed – maybe cut the sleeve head wider and taper in. The arms actually fit like those of my favorite Eileen Fisher boxy cowl sweater. It’s just that the armscye seam feels kinda funky.

I questioned the center back seam. It’s a straight seam, why is it necessary. I wrote StyleArc about it (and about the missing instruction for sewing that seam). I quickly received a nice email from “Chloe and the StyleArc team”, saying that the CB seam was there to give you more efficient pattern placement on the fabric – i.e. lower the yardage requirement for this top. It is a straight seam. If you’ve got enough fabric and don’t want the seam there, don’t do it.

Fabric Used: RPL from Gorgeous Fabrics

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: I don’t have a serger. Okay, I have one, but I don’t know how to use it. It sewed 3/8″ seams rather than 1/4″, then double stitched them at 1/4″. On the center back seam, I just sewed at 3/8″, then pressed open and double-needle topstitched it. This is a technique that Katherine Tilton uses in Vogue 8691 and it makes a nice look and a secure seam.

My only change was to lengthen the top 2″. As the seams are straight at the bottom of the top piece, I simply drew these pattern pieces 2″ longer, rather than slashing and spreading. I love the length. If you look at my blog post and notice the “bad” version (which is cut to the pattern length) versus the “good” version (2″ longer), I think you’ll see the difference.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? Yes and Yes. Note to all: use a soft knit as Chloe suggests. Don’t go off on your own rocky road. For this top, softer and slinkier is better!

Conclusion: Love it! Will definitely be making this again.

Personal note 1: This is the first post I’ve written since I got a new MacBook Pro. I got my first one, used, in March of 2010. Since that date I’ve been writing without an external keyboard or a mouse. With the new purchase, I broke down and got both keyboard and mouse. HAPPYHAPPYHAPPY! They’re not that expensive. Why did I put it off for so long?

Personal note 2: You like that scarf in the first picture, don’t you. That’s the Safety Scarf. I’m absolutely loving it, and will write a full post about it in a couple of days.