Layering Pieces for Travel

or What Happens When the Whining Stops 🙂 and gray is incorporated into the wardrobe.

The rust brown color was really bothering me and I was grinding to a halt. But then I noticed: Eureka! The faux suede (it’s called Peachskin, isn’t it???) has a silver gray in it

I thought of the wardrobe I did last winter using McCall’s 6244. A guipure lace topper, a steel gray tee, silver sleeveless tee and a swing vest

Ahhh, much better to combine the two, mix-n-match. That introduction of gray revitalized me.

This morning I jumped into modeling without fussing with hair and makeup and doing that helped me not think about how I looked, just be happy and get the photos done. Just Git ‘Er Done. That’s a good motto for me. Too much thinking can stop me in my tracks.

Over the past few days I carefully saved my hands for sewing. No gardening, only gentle housework and little typing at the computer. That helped tremendously. Using my KwikSew TNT turtleneck top pattern I grafted on a larger collar and lengthened it into a tunic with side slits. The wind caught the top just as the shutter closed so the front is poofed out. Really, it was the wind, I tell you.

Git ‘Er Done Production: 1 knit tunic, 2 pairs of elastic waist pants, 1 swing Jacket with matching short skirt and belt, a cowl neck sweater and two “30 Minute Toppers”. Here’s the short topper:

Now, I have been thinking about these 30 Minute Toppers for years. I stashed the fabric long ago and have been thinking and thinking. What a waste of brain power! Took me just a few hours to cut and sew them up.

I held up the fabric on my body to get gage the weight of the knit and fix the cut points and then folded the fabric in half lengthwise and then in half crosswise and just cut. What did I have to lose? Here’s the pattern with the dark one already sewn up and approved, laid out on the flowery fabric

Here’s the dress shape cut

And here’s the result, good for a long tunic, dress or bathing suit coverup

So. I think I’m done. Add a few pieces of jewelery, a couple of belts and maybe things will work together and maybe they won’t

I’ll just have to play it by ear.

McCalls 6247 Travel Wardrobe & Status of The Writer

I have a trip coming up and some lovely cotton lycra double knit in 3 colors: rust, camel and white, perfect for a mix and match travel wardrobe. I am using McCall’s 6247 as my base pattern

I have finished the top and pants. I modified both pieces. On the top I made turned up cuffs with buttons to hold them in place and the pants, which were largely PJ-like stovepipe, I pegged the thigh and made boot cut shaped legs.

I was surprised to see how the sporty details of the top make it look almost masculine

The jacket is almost finished. It is made from a long-stashed faux suede, I can’t remember the popular name for this brushed, knit backed fabric, but it’s soft and static-y, drapey and lightweight and barely stretchy enough for this pattern.

Edited: after ironing and top stitching I’ve removed the puckers YAY!)
OK, it’s NOT stretchy enough for this pattern: the front band causes the body to pucker but with the full drape and busy pattern it is not really noticeable. This is the fabric lying on top of the camel colored (it’s camel in Real Life) double knit:

I don’t have an alternative fabric for the jacket. I have not bought very many knits in the past. The skirt is cut out from the same faux suede: 2 pieces with elastic waist. I am making the self fabric belts, closed by some nice Clover D-rings in antique gold.

So? How come I’m not modeling and showing off? I’ve had some big changes in my life: my hair is now steel gray and white since I’ve chopped off all the yellow, my shoes and orthotics are huge and I can’t seem to take a good photo any more. Many of the fabrics in my stash are good for the old hair color and don’t fit my colors now. I’m a navy and gray person now. I need wide legged, long pants to balance out the shoes, heels are out of the question. My style must change! Ack!

OK. Please don’t laugh. I’ve been hiding. I just lately figured this whole thing out and more with the help of x-rays and a physician.

I need carpal tunnel surgery on both hands and have fairly advanced arthritis in my joints and bone spurs in mt left thumb. Husband needs the surgery, too so we’ll have to coordinate on this latest of adventures in aging.

Yeah. I’ve ground to a halt.

Last night I couldn’t manage the scissors so I ripped through the medicine shelf and found all those old wrist braces I used to wear when I did a lot of wood work and heavy gardening. I can’t even wear the braces any more. My right hand is still asleep and tingling.

Yup. I’ve been compensating and have totally incorporated pain into my daily life choices. I should know by now that if I don’t want to do something I used to love to do, there’s probably a good reason.

I just have chosen to stop sewing and posting and much of anything that will strain my hands. Oh major, beyond-Bart-Simpson, DUH moment.

So, I’ve cut way back on computer work and devoted myself to sewing and I hope to get through this current project or I’ll be left with an orphan color way in the closet. And we all hate that, don’t we?

Surgery, braces, doctors. Oh sure, I need more of that (NOT).

I would love to hear: has anyone had this surgery and did it help you in your ability to sewing and do daily tasks?

Wool Challis Dress

Done! Yes, years in the planning, months in the construction, it’s finally finished.

The main fabric in this dress has been the subject of many dressmaking day dreams. I wrote a post about it in April 2008. and now it’s really here!

I hope having the dress in the closet will break my sewing inertia of the past few months. My dreams are always big but my git-‘er-done has been small. It happens.

Bad weather is coming (again) so I rushed to get these shots today. It was overcaste and windy today. I am holding the skirt down to get this shot! And I had to really lighten the exposure to show all the details of the dress and when you play with the exposure it changes the colors.

My design is based upon McCalls 5973, one of those patterns that lets you mix and match components.

I used the sleeves gathered into bands and the front yoke with a slit. But trying to get creative I added a ruffle on one side of the band extended up to the shoulder seam. Over the years I have looked for a fabric to match the roses and bought a few fabrics but none were the right weight or color. I don’t think the ruffle shows well and now that asymmetrical details are slowly passing out of fashion I am glad I couldn’t do what I had planned. The ruffle is there but it is not a loud “look at me” detail. Saved from myself, thank goodness!!! LOL

I used the skirt front panel for the gored skirt and cut the width down to match the width of the front band. I also narrowed the width of the gathered skirt pattern pieces and gathered only under the bust in front. The back is gathered evenly across the whole back.

So…..really, only the bodice is sewn following the pattern’s original pieces. I love how comfortable it is and how well (I think) it fits. I made a muslin (yes, I really did!) and I’m glad. The gored skirt would not have fit me at all. I cut a 14 for the bodice, widening at the side seams just beneath the armscye through the raised waist band. The skirt is mostly of my own drafting efforts

Those neck points really do match.

The dress is unlined and I tried out the new Pro-Sheer Elegance interfacing from Fashion Sewing Supply to pad out the hem and give my hand hemming stitches an anchor. Love it!!! It’s so lightweight and barely changed the hand of the wool challis at all. I tested 4 different fusible interfacings, including Sewer’s Dream, the knitter’s choice for interfacing, before I hit on it. Oh yes, I’m very happy with this new version of Pro Elegance.

So there it is: The Dress Finally Done.

Yay!

Vintage Liberty Wool Challis

Some time ago I received a phone call from a friend. She is expecting to be a grandmother to twins and wanted to know if I had any of my dressing frames left over from my educational materials sewing days. I didn’t. I was in the process of closing The Stitchery and clearing out the building at that point so I wouldn’t have time to make up a set for her. However, since Montessori dressing frames allow 3 year old children to learn how to zip, button, tie and finally dress themselves I have time to make panels for her yet unborn twins.

At the end of the phone call my friend, a very busy teacher trainer and educational consultant, mentioned that she had some beautiful vintage Liberty wool challis and some other fabrics she would send me. She has stashed gorgeous fabrics from her sewing days and can’t bare to take them to Goodwill. Ohhhh.

I love wool challis! Click the link to learn some tasty tidbits about this fabric. It works easily, has incredible drape, firmness, light body and yet softness and is excellent for lightly tailored garments.

I’ve been designing and constructing on a dress of printed wool challis using a fabric I bought 4 years ago from Fashionista Fabrics that I love so much. It’s finally done and when I am presentable enough for a body shot I’ll show you. Here’s a “hanger shot”. The dark blue is a fine pine strip suiting from Michael’s Fabrics

I adore the reds against the emerald, black, blue and tan background. Have been jealously planing the exact usage of this challis for years LOL.

My friend’s package arrived this week. Yes, truly vintage Liberty of London wool challis in the 60’s style of colors and print

The back of the tag tells the cleaning method. Wish this was still done, don’t you?

There are 2 pieces of this amazing wool. One is 3 yard and the other about 2 yards. What shall I make? I think a longer tunic with wide or dropped sleeves to be worn over white narrow legged pants.