Archer #1 + Moss #2 = Sunny Days

Archer #1.  Refashioned from an old men's shirt.  Gosh, I love this thing.  I didn't have enough fabric for the cuffs so I made, er, a cuff "facing" and decided that bracelet length was just the thing.  I often roll up the sleeves anyways.  I always feel perfectly chic in a slightly slouchy way, every time I put this thing on.  It's a look that's hard to pull off, but in Archer, I feel like I can do it.  This look is growing on me.

Moss #2.  Mustard cotton twill, zero stretch.  With one of Tasia's labels~ I love them so!  I eased the waistband by 1" on my last Moss, and really wish I'd done so on this one as well.  It allows the waistband to hug just enough that the skirt doesn't scoot around during the day, and yet doesn't feel restrictive.  (Mark Center Back notch, mark side seams; cut waistband 1/4" shorter than pattern calls for in 4 places: along the right front, left front, right back between side and CB notch, left back between side and CB notch.  Ease in 4 places.  Super simple)

What I love even more than my Archer and my new Moss?  Wearing the two of them together.  Archer #1 goes pretty smashingly with Moss #1, but this is such a happy, sunny combination, I think it's got me won over.

And just in time.  Moss #1 was starting to look a little faded and worn (I wear it multiple times each week if I can help it).  Plus, what says "fall" like a splash of mustard?

Hope your fall sewing has been going well so far :-).

Fiber #49 // Stripes of gold

The first FO from my autumnal plans!  I know what you're thinking.  "Yawnzers, Jessica, another sweater?  It doesn't look all that fancy."  Well, I'm here to tell you folks, this was my first time winging a sweater pattern, start to finish, and it turned out pretty darn well, if I do say so myself.  Boatneck secured with little buttons at the collar, 3/4 sleeves, cream and gold striping?  Yes, yes, yes.

I believe I used a purchased sweater pattern as a general guide for shoulders and sleeves, even though my gauge was 22 stitch/4 inch instead of the prescribed 19st/4in.  Living dangerously!  You'll notice I even did some stripe matching at the sleeves.  How's that for getting overly fancy, and all that.

Fiber #49 // Stripes of gold
Pattern: slapdash/seat of my pants
Yarn: recycled mystery yarn from cowl purchased on Etsy; Louet Gems Sport (merino) in cream or ivory, 2.1 hanks
Needle: size 5
Notions: 4 buttons harvested from this refashion

Boring construction notes:
*Used 3 sets of short rows at each shoulder, front and back, so that the pieces would overlap sufficiently to attach the buttons
*No button holes, just stitched the buttons straight on, and secured the seams with some stitching along the ribbing (using the Louet)
*Jogless stripes, going towards the back, and when I got to the underarm split I just switched colors along the edges, which does mean I have one not-exactly-parallel stripe somewhere near my right shoulder blade.

Winging your own sweater pattern does slow down the process considerably, and is generally prone to increased frustration over ripping and re-ripping back sections.  However!  The more I both knit and sew, the more confident I become in figuring out my body, and, just as importantly, getting a sense for what types of shapes, and at what proportions/measurements, create the type of garment I like.  For example, I know I prefer cropped blouses and sweaters - its a petite thing, but it also lets me pair tops with both pants and skirts, which is important for me since mix-and-match versatility is a high priority for me.  Don't have enough hours in the day to go crafting clothing that just goes with pants or with skirts ...

This also means that, armed with a ruler (which I'm often missing when  I knit on the road ... I try to substitute in various body parts of which I have a vague sense of their length ... NOT recommended), some math skills (mine often disappear on me), and a general working knowledge of construction options, increase/decrease possibilities, and stitch patterns ... there is no end to the possibilities!  So expect more of these in 2013.

I am immensely satisfied with this sweater. In fact, I may go so far as  to get big-headed and proclaim myself as making significant progress on this whole "10,000 hours to becoming an expert" thing, and at crafting a handmade wardrobe, no less.  Now, ahem, have I invested more total hours towards crafting or writing?  Erg ...

Blouse #11 :: Danburry (Continued variations on a theme)

I haven't seemed to tire yet of making up new variations of the Sorbetto.  I've been on a stashbusting kick of late, though seeing as I keep pulling 1 yard lengths from my stash, the stacks of fabric tottering around my room don't appear to have diminished at all. It's also been distracting me from my plans for Fall. Whoops. 

Name: Danburry
Pattern: Sorbetto
Fabric: Quilting cotton, probably gifted from my aunt years ago
Notions: Self-made bias tape from quilting cotton, toggle button
Mods: Raised neckline 1.5", added 2" keyhole, lowered armholes by 1.5" and made micro kimono sleeves.  Added narrow front and back darts.

This design blatantly lifted from Lady Danburry's springtime keyhole blouse, which has been stewing on my brain for awhile now.

I believe the fit is getting better, though I am getting to the point where I really should insert a zipper into the side seam and stop yanking it on and off.  To match the contours of my body, designed the bust darts to hit their widest 3" down from the top of the dart, tapering away to nothing; and the back darts to hit their widest 3" from the bottom of the dart, tapering up towards nothing.  I think I should try making the back darts symmetrical, top to bottom.

How's that for a bit of uninentional matchingness?  Hehehe.

Was testing out kimono sleeves on the Sorbetto.  As I am generally not a fan of cap sleeves because they make  me self-conscious of my upper arms and their lack of muscle scultping, it should no surprise that this is not my favorite look for me.  But I do love the little flower print, the narrow solid bias binding, and the keyhole neckline.

Another blouse!  Another print!  Will the march of the Sorbettos never end?  Seeing as I love crafting of multiple looks from one pattern, I'd say you can probably expect more to come ...

Dress #11 :: Rhubarb

Can you tell I've been watching a lot of Mad Men?

A lot.  What can I say about this dress, except that it's princess seamed, I converted the boat neck to a V in the back, and managed to cut it out of 1.5 yards of fabric, a full 5/8 yard shy of what the pattern calls for.  If you look closely, you might be able to see where I pieced together one of the back panels (luckily, had enough scraps to match the pattern).  I mean, I'm short, right?  So I usually buy anywhere from 1/2 to 1 yard less than they call for, and generally it works out, except I'd forgotten this was a directional print (Moda voile, but very Liberty-esque - Debbie, you've got an eye! - underlined with a white cotton voile).  However, after this aggravation I think I will up my minimum "I think this would make a lovely dress, not sure of the pattern yet" amount to a flat 2 yards.  Retracing pattern pieces at 3/8" seam allowance, sweating over cutting layouts ... just shell out a little extra, woman!  It's worth it.

I definitely am learning more about ease, and my body type, as I sew blouses and dresses.  For instance, this dress taught me that I like bodices to nip in at my rib cage because my belly tends to protrude not far below that, and definitely before I get to my natural waist, which means that my narrowest point from side to side might be at my natural waist, but my narrowest point from front to back is at my rib cage (if that makes sense).  So if you go by generic sewing patterns that call for a gentle tapering in towards the natural waist, that actually creates a rather dumpy effect on me.  I certainly don't want to overfit, but the first iteration of this dress (before I took in the seams at the ribcage, tapering to nothing at the waist, and then shortened the whole thing so that the bodice and skirt proportions would work) made me look about 10 pounds heavier.

So there's my sewing productivity for the month of July!  I think I'll add some belt loops but I like that this dress looks fine on it's own.  The colors in the fabric remind me of the pretty reds and greens in rhubarb, which I think of as a harbinger of spring, and which is exactly what this dress evokes for me.

(And Sigrid --- no rush on your version!  Summer is for lolling about!  Table excavation shmcavation ... I mean, enjoy your vacation?)