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?

Disappointment Averted!

I recently wrote about the disappointment I faced after making a few cardis from some Ponte de Roma fabric, purchased from my local Fabricland.  The fabric was lovely and soft, had a great drape, a nice amount of stretch and came in some FABULOUS colors.  So I bought loads of it - red, fushia, blue, chartreuse, cream, black (not all at the same time you understand!) and made up some great tops using McCalls 6168.

 

Sadly, the fabric pilled quickly - after just one wearing, the cream jacket has pilled so much around the cuffs that I can't wear it anymore.

Sew, this week I spent time making up the tops again in fabric with a very high cotton content, and I couldn't be more thrilled!

As you can see, I have manged to duplicate all the previous tops, with the exception of the chartreuse one - when I see a cotton knit in the same colour . . . I will make one of those too!  Oh, and the black one.  I picked up a cotton/lycra knit today, but I am waiting until I get a cover-stitch machine (hopefully in the next few weeks) before using this fabric as it is quite thin.  I do have another fabric that would work well, a black embossed velvet, so that should be making an appearance soon!

Here are some more pics . . . . !

Le Purple Velvet Smoking Jacket - Prince eat your heart out!  I changed out the front of this jacket, and rather than have a button band and a round neck, I took out about 1.5" off each of the fronts and then sewed on a band that has a centre back seam.  More about this fabric in a post later this week.
 

Tomatoes/tomatoes - ribbed 100% cotton, regular neckline

True Blue Baby - I Love You! Cotton with a smidge of lycra - altered neckline with attached band.

A Study in White - This is the same fabric as True Blue above, and also has the altered neckline with a band.  I am thinking of leaving buttons off this one but sewing some beads around the band.

I rather like the smaller white glass beads at the top, the large ones are gold lined glass beads and I think that they are a bit ostentatious and big.  I am looking for subtlety!

Finally Fushia - again, the same fabric as True Blue and Study in White.  I may need to re-hem the bottom as I sewed a narrow hem that is wanting to turn out and is not happy about lying flat!

Sorry about the flushed face in these pics - I had just had a shower and I think I was still rather warm!

Incidentally, the reason why I had the time to get all this sewing done, as well as my PJ's, is that Mr. SDSC and I took a week of work.  Just like that.  For no real reason except that we wanted too.  And it was great!  We had a couple of things that needed doing - dogs to the vets to get their teeth cleaned etc., but on the whole we chilled and did what we wanted - went out to dinner, saw an exhibition and I sewed, sewed and sewed!

Back to work on Monday, and a return to weekend sewing,  I find it hard to get motivated to sew after a long day at work, but I do have some ideas brewing - I rather fancy making Tilly's new Coco Dress, and I also wanted to make some garments out of some lovely wool that I picked up this last week.  What about you - what do you have brewing?