Hello Norma Jean

Time to catch up on some of my sewing, and of course I have being using my favouite designer, Tina Givens.

With Summer approaching it was time to make some light-coloured jeans, and Norma Jean looked to fit the bill.

Source

Not such a good photo from the designers web page, but trust me . . . . !

I used an off white linen/rayon mix, some quilting fabric patches, and whoosh, I was off!  No changes to the pattern - it is oversized and baggy, and as I didn't want to change the fundamentals of the design, I left everything as it was.  Oh, I may have left off a patch or two, but other than that, no changes.

I have some hanger photos to follow, but this is how 'Norma' looks in action with a linen Jacqueline slip and a trusty McCalls 6168.  

The pockets are interesting - they are sewn into a cut in the front pattern pieces - they feel a bit like a kangeroo pouch to me!  I'm not sure if I'd bother using these pockets next time, I'll probably add some in-seam pockets or patch ones.  Nonetheless, they are quite fun.

Ah yes, a couple of cute patches!!!

I'm going to wear these a few times before I decide whether or not to dye them - I'm not quite sure if this off white is too bright.

Here are some hanger close ups!!

One of the 'kangeroo' pockets above!

A few patches . . . 

And my label!  The front and back pattern pieces are the same, so I always like to add a label.

These really are quick make and I'll be using this as my 'go to' for woven pants/jeans.  Love them!

How is you summer sewing coming along - or winter sewing for my 'downunder' sisters?

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!