Purple Raine

I love purple.  Not sure if this is a case of 'always have', but I do.  I prefer the blue end of the scale, and when I my local fabric shop had a sale of 50% everything, including the bargain basement fabrics (they seem to be a mix of really of cheap tat, and fabric that has just been cleared off the shelves to let other fabric on), I was all over it like a rash!  Unfortunately, the content labels are usually ripped off, so it is a bit of a gamble as to whether you have a bargain or not.  However, at $2.50/m, I picked up a few yards!

First of all is this lovely purple rayon jersey.  I made a skirt, top and longline cardi (and there is still 3 or 4 metres left!  Purple underwear anyone?!

Sorry about the pics - this was the best that I could get even after touching them up.  The light is really funny at this time of year - you think you have it sorted and it is nice an bright . . . . and then the colours don't play nice.

The skirt is Simplicity 4221, and I have made this many times.  It is a four gore, elastic waisted skirt.  Very easy to make, and with a full lining it feels lovely to wear!

The top is Kwik Sew 3752, which I've made before, in fact, I've made this 'two piece' dress on a couple of occasions, and it is very easy to make and wear.  I made a cowl/polo neck (not really sure how this would be categorised!) because I do like something round my neck, and it also stops the neckline stretching out if I misjudge the band length for the neck!

The cardi is my trusty McCalls 6168 and as the jersey is so soft and drapey, the sleeves are a little on the long side.  I'll probably push them up my arms a little so all is good!

It is pretty hard to see the details of these garments due to them all being the same colour - I probably could have just wrapped the fabric round me and the photos would have looked the same!  So to prove that I did do some sewing, I took a couple of pics with some trousers:

And I also tried the cardi with some Summer Lagenlook (a little creased, seems like these garments have been in the closet a looooong time!  And oh boy - look at those legs!  Milk bottles eat you heart out!!

I'm not sure how long the fabric will last - if it will pill, but until then, I will enjoy wearing it as it is very snuggly!  I did change the neckline a little - I cut out the regular pattern pieces, and rather than face the cardi I just added a 3" strip of fabric, folded in half lengthways to the front and neck edge (on the wrong side), folded it to the right side and edge stitched it down.  A nice finish that I am happy with.

After making three purple garments, whey not make another?  It made sense as I had the thread in the serger!  So I cut out and made a another Simplicity 2154.  I have a few of these that I wear regularly to work, or with jeans and it is a great little top.  I did make a purple one a year or so ago - but made a total hash of the buttonholes and I don't wear it!

This fabric definitely has a large percentage of cotton in it, and the front looks a little like a rib with the wrong side being smooth.  There wasn't so much of this for sale - but enough for this cardi, and probably another 'fabric light' top!

I used some cute patterned ribbon for the button-band (teapots and tea cups!)

And look, I had a helper!

Little Nico is still trying to work out how this household runs.  No doubt he finds it quite amusing!

Do you have a favourite colour?  A passion for purple perhaps?

Fashion Shoot - Catching Up!

Well, it looks as though I may have solved my photographer issue, and now do not have to worry about relying on my Father or Mr. SDSC (fabulous photographers that they are!)  The solution?  Cashing in some of those Air Miles and turning them into a camera that I can work remotely through my iPhone,  It is a Lumix 'point and shoot' - nothing fancy, and in fact the spec is a little less than my current camera.  However, as it has a wireless thingy (hey, if this is getting too technical, let me know!!)  I have downloaded an app for my phone, and the phone acts as the remote - I can even zoom in using the phone.  Pretty freaky, right?  The only downside is that I have to hold the phone to take pic, but I am not complaining about that!  So here we go, modeled photos of the garments that I gave you close ups of here.  There are five skirts to get through (Butterick 4877), so I hope that you are sitting comfortably!

Let's start with the purple ruffle skirt made from fabric from Vogue Fabrics, and worn here with a RTW black tank, a black ponte cardigan (based on McCalls 4466.  I've made a few of these cardis but don;t seem to have blogged about this one) and shoes that I would usually wear with trousers (my heels - and I don't actually have many pairs - are at work!)

Hmmmm. The photos are not as sharp as I would like, I may need to play around with this camera.

Next is the white corduroy.  Same black tank and cardigan as above:

Want to see some color?  How about the red Butterick 5687?

I tried to get a motion pic (see above) to show you how flippy the ruffles are.  Love them!

Do I look like I'm thinking?  Working?  Checking emails?  Actually, this is me setting up the camera using the phone app.

The next skirt is one of two that I made from the same rayon/poly tweed fabric.  One is plain ans straight, the other I went a little crazy and added hip pockets . . . . . that ended up a little small because of how I finished up the waistband.  No matter though - I can still fit some lipsalve in or a $1 for my morning coffee!

The last set of photos are of the brown corduroy skirt:

I am wearing my Kwik Sew 3752 from 'Comfortable Dressing'.  I'm not too sure if I like the top with this skirt as I don't think the proportions are very flattering - I think that the top looks better with the longer skirt in the original posting.  I need to think about this combination!  Feels good though!

I have quite a few more outfits to show you that I photographed today, but I do rather think that 17 photos is enough for getting on with!

Oh, one thing that came to light as a result of these photos - I think that my right hip is higher than the left.  I know that my posture is appalling, but when I did stand up straight, the skirts did not hang straight unless I hoiked them up on the left-hand side.  Certainly something to consider for the future.

So, these form part of my Birch Tree Collection and they will be great workhorses in my wardrobe!

Comfortable Dressing

I love to read blogs and see the fabulous clothing that my peers are creating.  There really are some talented people out there, making the most gorgeous clothing.  I then (order the patterns and) wonder whether some of these designs would suit my lifestyle and comfort level.  Because I am all about comfort.  So having recently made a semi fitted dress, and a cute houndstooth skirt, I thought that I would make one of my rayon jersey skirts, and pull on tops.  The fabric is from fabric.com and I like the sweater weight (65% rayon) as it washes and wears really well.

The skirt is based on Simplicity 4221 (it is out of print, but it is a simple 4 gore skirt with an elasticated waistband), and the top is based upon Kwik Sew 3752.  Firstly, I have a patterned skirt and a plain top:

Ha!  I just wanted to show the sleeves.  As wide as they are, they are a fraction of the size on the ones on the original pattern!  I also rather like a polo/turtle neck rather than a round neck.  I find that it keeps the neckline shape much better, and it is very snuggly!

I then made another top, exactly the same pattern, but out of the same fabric.  It makes a great two piece dress that I feel very comfortable in:

 

So there you have it - some great separates that I can wear to work and also feel comfortable in!

The question now is - what to make next?  As the weather is now beginning to turn here in Alberta, I think I may may a fleece cape from Burda . . . . if not, it will be something else!

Happy Sewing :)

MMM - 1

May is here - and I am excited to be taking part in 'Me Made' for this month.  My pledge is I endeavour to wear a self-made garment every day for the month of May.  These garments will be either sewn or knitted by me.'

Today I was out of the office and was able to take advantage of one of my colleagues who took these pictures for me - thanks Jim!

There will be some garments that I haven't mentioned before as well as some already blogged about - and to start today, I am wearing 3 MM garments:

1. Red ponte cardigan - McCalls 4466
2. Black slinky top - Kwik Sew 3752
3. Black crepe gored skirt - Simplicity 4221

The cardigan is based upon McCalls 4466, adjusted from a fitting class that I attended, and it makes a great semi-casual top.  I think that I need to play around with the bust darts so that they stop short of the 'apex', but it works for now!  The fabric is a fabulous rayon ponte from Fabricland that I have purchased in a number of colors . . . . so expect to see some more in the near future!

The top has a hipband and is another comfy garment to wear.  It is easy to make out of jersey/sweater fabrics and features a lot in my cool temperature wardrobe -we are still waiting for spring here in the Great White North - looks like we moght be in luck later this week!!

This skirt is from a pattern that is well used - most of my summer skirts from last year used this pattern, it is a simple 4-gore pull on that is lined.  The fabric is a crepe that hangs beautifully and appears to be 'crease proof'.  Can't argue with that!  All in all I am pleased with this outfit, it works well for my workplace and is very comfortable to wear!

I also will be keeping a check of the number of MM garments that I wear - it will be interesting to see how many repeats there are . . . .

For tomorrow I have a completely new garment . . . here is a 'teaser' picture or 2) - complete with obligatory dog hairs!

So how about you - how are you doing?  Are you wearing MM clothing today?

Ikat Winter Collection - the reveal!

I am happy to say that I have now completed my 6PAC Winter Collection for the Stitchers Guild sew-a-long - and here is the proof!  Just a quick warning before you start - this is a monster post . . . !

I made two skirts - a straight one and a 4-gored one, two tops - one with a polo neck, one with a round neck and two cardigan/jackets.  So without further ado. . . I give you my

Ikat Winter Collection:

The first two items are a top and skirt that make a two piece dress.  The top is my franken Kwik Sew 3752 and the skirt is from Simplicity 4221.  The fabric is an Ikat Hiatchi Sweater Print from Fabric.com.  The skirt is lined with black Bemberg and has a lace border.  I blogged about these two items here.
 

The next item, which I actually completed last of all is a jacket cardigan from McCalls 4466.  I changed the neckline from being a round neck to a more 'V' line as this is a casual cardigan.  The fabric is an orange ponte knit from Fabricland and I LOVE the fabric.  The cardigan had been tissue fitted during my fitting class.  There are some changes that I could have made - I have a feeling that I messed up the centre front and have more fabric in the front that I should have. Ho hum - I can fix that next time!  I am happy with how the back fits, and if I had stood up straight during the photo session you would have been able to see how it fits my round upper shoulder and swayback.  A nice casual (and yet fitted) cardigan!  It picks out the orange in the dress very well.

A little peek inside - I did not touch my serger with this!  All the seams were sewn then the edges zigzagged and pressed open.  The shoulder and centre back seams were also top-stitched open.  I hand-stitched down the seams of the sleeve near the cuffs so that they looked more professional.  It took a lot longer to sew, but I really liked the process here.

Ah yes.  My black corduroy skirt.  This is the second one that I made.  The first was blogged about here, but I really did not like how it looked so I made another!  (I will do something with the first one to make it wearable - probably by cutting off about 10" in length!)

This straight skirt is from Butterick 4877 and I first blogged about the pattern here.  This time I just lengthened the yoke to make a straight skirt, pegging the hem 1" on the side seams.  I inserted an invisible zip - I really have not master a lapped zip, and have managed without one so far!  The skirt is, of course, lined and I have to say that I feel great in it.  I love the silhouette and have cut out another two - one in brown jumbo corduroy and one in a tartan fabric (or it may be plaid - I will need to see if I can ID it!)

 

This top (same Kwik Sew pattern as above) feels great - it is a cotton/lycra mix and I really should have ironed it again before putting it on . . . . !  With the black skirt it looks OK - I probably would not wear it just like this, but with a cute scarf I think the outfit would really pop!  The only difference between this top one and the orange patterned one above is that I put a nice long polo neck to keep me snuggly warm!

Another headless shot - this means that I was pulling a face or it is out of focus!

This cardigan is my final piece, and I originally blogged about it here.  This cardigan is part of a two piece and is a Linda MacPhee pattern.  I thought that two layers of animal print was a little too much and made the plain brown top instead.

Yep, you are right - I need to adjust the lining of the black skirt as it is pulling slightly on the vent on the back of the skirt.

Here we have the brown top and orange Ikat skirt.  I really like this look as well . . .

And to finish it off - with the orange cardigan.  I think this color rather suits me and I shall have to get some more!

Here we have the begining of . . . .

Jazz hands.  Well, sort off!  It looks more like I am pushing the photographer (my father) away!  Sorry Dad - you did a grand job!

There are 9 looks here out of my 6 pieces and I already have the top that matches the brown cardigan for a couple more looks.  I am really happy with these garments - I think that I have moved on quite a lot from my K.I.S.S collection.  This is mostly down to feedback from yourselves and I really appreciate comments - so thank you!

I learned quite a few things during this collection, a lot of it from studying these photos.  I can't believe the difference between looking at photos and looking at myself in the mirror! 

1. Shorter skirts are OK
2. Longer gored skirts need to be made in very drapey fabrics
3. A shorter jacket/cardigan would probably look good too - worth trying that next time
4. I love a fitted skirt.  Elastic waistbands are great, but I really like the fitted one on the black skirt
5.  I love, love, love hand sewing.  There was not much in this - the cuffs on the orange cardigan and the lining of the black skirt, but I do like slowing down the pace and hand sewing.
6. Not everything needs to be serged!  I plan to use more couture techniques in future garments - where appropriate of course, such as french seams, Hong-Kong finishes, interlining etc. instead of whipping everything through the serger!
7. Yes, you are right.  Despite avidly watching America's Next Top Model, my posing is pretty poor - but there is a new season starting soon so I will see what I can do!!


I also think that my fitting class has helped a lot - I can't believe how fitted the orange cardigan is and how good it feels.  There will be many more of these garments - taking into account the alterations mentioned above.  I can't wait to start!

To finish off, here is my compilation photo:

PS - If you would like to see more photos, they are on Flickr, just make sure you are sitting comfortably as there are LOADS!  Apparently there is a monthly upload limit, and I exceeded it with this batch.  So soon in the month as well!