Layering Up

As I have said many times before, I really enjoy layering up, and this time of year is the perfect time to do just that.  This is what I wore today:

The cardigan is McCalls 6168 from a few years ago and the jeans are Tina Givens Holly Pants, that I mentioned here.  The white top is a Seamingly Smitten Draped Top and I love it!  I've made three or four of these, they are perfect under a cardi.  And the lace peaking underneath? This is my 'new best thing'!  Let me tell you a little more.  

A few months ago I was told about a website called 'Farmhouse Frocks' - lovely Lagenlook styles made by Amish ladies in Ohio.  Very much my style.  Anyway, I filed this away and promptly forgot about it until a post popped up on Facebook and I took another look.  Oh boy, what a treat!  There are a number of styles that I like the look of, especially the 'Shirt Extender' and I thought how well it would go with my wardrobe.  

For the basic body of my version I used Kwik Sew 2766 an OOP nightgown pattern.  It is quite a simple sleeveless nightgown/petticoat and I cut it mid hip length.  The pattern is designed for wovens (on the bias) and knits, I used some very soft oatmeal coloured cotton jersey and some matching cream stretch lace for the trim at the bottom.  The jersey is actually a fitted sheet that never really fit our bed, so some great re-purposing!  After making up the top I pleated it and serged the lace on the botton edge, and done1  For the neckline and armhole edging I used lingerie lace trim at 80% of the measured edge of the openings and it is lovely!

I left the bottom edge of the lace raw after cutting it with my rotary cutter so that it is nice and straight.

I have already cut out a black version and a (OK, and a couple of) white ones too!  So not only will I be warm as the weather gets cooler, but I'll also have some pretty lace peeking through my layers as well!

Gypsy Wife - Completed Flimsy

I love it.  I really, really love it.  I know one shouldn't be proud.  But I love it!  Here is the top (or flimsy) of my Gypsy Queen quilt by Jen Kingwell:

It really is a lot more vibrant that these photos indicate and I think that I have captured that in some of my 'favourite' blocks below:

This orange, brown and green block above, maybe my favourite block of all.  I reminds me of a sunflower!

All in all, it only took two weeks to sew up!  Whoosh, I don't mess about you know!  I have taken a class at my local quilt shop, and am now qualified to use their long-arm machine.  The plan is have horizontal lines running across the quilt, so I am hoping it will be quite simple for my first quilting project!  And yes.  I am hooked.  I am already one third the way through another one.  Totally different this time, a controlled background and colour scheme, here are a couple of pics.

Oh, and look what arrived in the mail yesterday from Black Rabbit Fabrics - I predict some more Peg Legs this weekend!

Peg Legs - or 'the Day I Became a Pirate'

I have really been embracing my Lagenlook/Tina Givens style and have enjoyed wearing my me-made clothes this Spring and Summer.  Being able to wear sandals/summer shoes means that I do not need to worry about socks/tights (pantyhose to my American and Canadian buddies) - although to be fair, I really detest tights.  I'm a stockings kind of girl - but have you seen have you seen any on sale recently?  They are like gold dust.

So, with Autumn and now Winter fast approaching (oh, and we had our first fall of snow last week.  Really), what is a girl to do?

I know that a lot of people make their own leggings, and I thought that may be the way to go.  I can still wear my slips, a pair of winter boots, a cardi/jacket.  Perfect.  But what leggings? I have a few patterns (Espresso, Style Arc Laura), but for some reason I wasn't feeling the love.  And then I came across Peg Legs by Patterns for Pirates.  Oh my goodness, they are fabulous!  When you get the pattern they look really weird.  They have a a very low rise at the front, and are one piece - no side seam.  They are designed to have a wide band at the waist rather than an actual elasticated waistband, so I made some up.  It turns out that if you have a similar waist/hip measurement, then this sort of design doesn't work too well (think yoga pants), and they were soon heading south, taking my knickers with them!  Other than that, they fit like a dream.

I know the pictures aren't very clear, but really, this is all about the view!  This is outside Banff Springs Hotel before going in for Sunday brunch, we really are very lucky to have this on our doorstep.

So, I played around with the pattern, worked out I needed to add 3" to the rise front and back, serged some elastic on and voila - I am all Peg-Legged now!

Here I am wearing a Tina Givens Jacqueline Slip (linen), McCalls 6168 (I've made one or two of these.  Cotton/Lycra mix) and a spiffy poppy scarf.  I have dual British and Canadian citizenship and am proud to wear poppies.

Here is a close up of another pair of Peg Legs.  You can see the lowered front rise.  I really thought that they wouldn't be comfy and not cover my tummy, but they are fab!

So if you fancy being a Pirate - try out some Peg Legs.  if you join the Facebook group there is code to get the pattern for free.  Bargain!  They do have quite a following on FB, and this is how the cool kids photograph their 'Pegs:

For you own safety it is not necessary to see my feets, so here are some hand-knitted rainbow socks instead!

Incidentally, as far as sizing is concerned, I did the old 'wrap the fabric around your body to see how much it stretches' trick and that determined the size that I cut out.  By tightening and loosening the fabric, I could get the 'look' I wanted before cutting out.  Perfect!  If you have a small hip/waist ratio, you may wish to wrap the fabric around your waist, cinch it in, and then see if you can pull it down over your hips.  If I use fabric with a different stretch, then I would do this to see if I needed to change size.

Can't stay - need to make some more Pegs!