Accessorise, Accessorise, Accessorise

I have to say that after finishing my garments for the SWAP, I felt a little lost . . . . . what to make next?  After much humming and hawing, I decided to make some accessories.  There were a couple of things that inspired me, firstly a posting by Communing with Fabric that spoke about a Koos Loop Infinity Scarf.   That led me to a 'how to' posting by Dragon Threads and some comments to that post then took me to this Nancy Zieman video.  And I made a couple of the smaller mobius scarves:

The first is a mystery jersey that was $12.99 with 40% discount.  I think that it is a rayon/poly mix.  It is very soft and feels lovely!  I bought 1m and the scarf above is 24" x 36" so I have some leftover for another project.  As you can see, it works well with both a white summer slip from my SWAP and also new grey cardi that I made with cotton sweatshirt jersey and Simplicity 2154.  This grey jersey is the reason why I made these scarves, as I read a post on the Vivienne Files about integrating a red handbag.  The author recommends wearing a grey 'column' (trousers, vest top, cardi/jacket) and bringing in the red with a scarf, shoes, bag etc.  Having just finished the cardi, a red scarf was a no brainer!

And if you love one red scarf . . . . why not try another?

This time I used a red and black rayon batik.  I actually bought this about 8 years ago at a sewing show in Toronto from a company called Batik Butik.  The plan was to make a regular scarf and fray the edges, but I am glad that I held off as the fabric drapes beautifully and looks a lot more polished this way.

I am really pleased with these two quick and easy projects - maybe not ideal for the upcoming warmer months, but I find that they keep the chill off my neck when sitting in the office at work.  Have completed these, I have also gone a little crazy with some necklaces and started on a 6PAC - 6 co-ordinating items (yep, and challenge on Artisan's Square) and I plan on making some cardi's/long sleeved tops to work with my SWAP.  More details to follow!

Do you make your accessories?  What are your favourite makes?

TG - 1, 2, 3

So far, so good - I've made three pieces for my Lagenlook/Tina Givens SWAP.  And I am really please with how the pieces have turned out so far.  Unfortunately I've not had chance to model the pieces myself - so 'hangar shots' will have to suffice.

OK, here we go!  First of all we have Jaqueline, and this is the photo from the website:

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All these garments are from woven fabric, and I have made a pair of the trousers and two of the slips.  The first was in a white rayon and drapes beautifully.  Gosh, my photos look rather drab in comparison - I will need to learn to photograph like she does!

As you can see - pretty plain, nothing really to report.  I used my serger to complete a rolled hem and bound the neckline and armholes.  Those armholes are HUGE!  It is a good job that I will be layering this top as it verges on the indecent as far as the armholes are concerned!  I had to add two little darts to take in some of the excess fabric around the armhole - you can probably just see one in the photo above.

I sewed a small linen bias square on the centre back which will fray when washed - a little bit of whimsy!  And if I don't like it . . . . I'll just unpick it!

I then made another slip - after all, when I have been known to make just one iteration of a pattern?!  This time I used a gorgeous coral coloured linen.  I made a number of changes to the armhole and neckline (no armhole darts this time!) - I actually used my Sorbetto pattern which I had fitted many moons ago.  I did not include the bust dart or the centre pleat, and the fit is fabulous.  Really!

I have quite sloped shoulders, and as all the best sewing/fitting teachers will tell you - get the shoulders right and everything else will fall in place.  Well mostly.  But you get my drift!

And lastly - some trousers.  Ms. Givens appears to favour dropped crotch trousers, and I am not quite ready to embrace that as yet, so I used my TNT trousers pattern.  That dealt with the waist/crotch and I used the Jaqueline leg pattern for the pleats, binding etc.  I did shorten them a few inches so that they sit mid calf, rather than the designer ankle length, but will probably make a longer pair next time.  I used some tan ramie for these, and I am pleased with these as well.

I know, I know, hanger shots are not that inspiring, but I wanted to have a complete 'outfit' before taking 'person' shots, but also wanted to record my progress!  Next up with be the cropped top which is likely going to be based upon the jersey cardis that I have been making recently - Simplicity 2154.  I will shorten the top and then add a frill/peplum to get the 'feel' of the TG pattern.

I have to say that I am loving these garments.  They are pretty quick and easy to make, they fit well (when I sandwich them with my TNT's for shoulders, crotch curves etc) and the fabrics are gorgeous.

The next pattern on my list is the Phoebe:

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Closely followed by the Peplone:

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And the Briare, which incidentally is a freebee pattern!

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I am having to be very careful with fabrics - I don't want to look like someone from Little House on the Prairie, so I have a lot of plain fabrics planned so far, and have swapped out a couple of the patterned fabrics I had as I think that they will look a bit too cutesy . . . . but that means I can use some of my more brighter and bolder fabrics.  Watch this space!

A word or two on these patterns, there is not much in the way of line art.  if you are interested, it is worth downloading the instructions (from the website, and free of charge) to get an idea of pattern pieces and style lines.  I think that they are are great starting point if you have some TNT's that will assist you with fit, like I have done.

Finally, I was pleased to see that Beverly Johnson, the Fairy Bra Mother, has a new Craftsy class - Sewing Bras Designer Techniques.  I managed to pick up my class for half price, and will be making some designer bras over the next few weeks.  Details to follow!

I think that I am getting a handle on my Spring sewing, and the SWAP - are you sewing into the new season?

Late to the Party - Simplicity 2154 with a side of Ginger

If truth be told, I am not one of the cool cats, that jumps on a new pattern as soon as it is published, makes it up without delay, and then posts fabulous photos online to make everyone else drool over it with envy and longing.  In fact, I fall into the 'envy and longing' hanger on category and on a number of occasions, by the time I come to buy the pattern it is fast on it's way to becoming OOP.  Such was the case with Simplicity 2154, a retro suit pattern.  It was the cardi that I was interested in - I love cardies, and have made one or two in my time, so this last weekend I thought that I would have a play, using up some leftover lengths of fabric.

I give you pink:

And lilac:

And stripes (Oooh!  Looking a bit grumpy here - and this was the best pic out of the batch!):

And to finish off, a bright cheery one!  You may recognise the fabric from another cardi that I made a few weeks ago.

So, what can I tell you about this pattern?  I love it.  The only changes I made was to chop 2" off the length, and one inch off the shoulder length.  Other than that - this was a 'straight out the packet' sew for me.  I will probably play around with the sleeve and draft up another, slimmer fitting one that comes down to my wrist - this one is designed to be cropped a little higher.

The pattern comes together very easily - unfortunately I managed to loose the instructions, so I made it up in my own way.   The only issue was with the front facing - I had to search around a little to work out how to attach it and I am really pleased with the results.  All the seams are overlocked/serged, and then most of them are top-stitched in place.  I did have some fun with the facings and used some pretty ribbons:

Most are 7/8" or 1" with the exception of the blue ribbon which is 1.5" wide.  The cream facing is the only grosgrain - and I did wash them all first, so that there won't be any 'shrinking' surprises! I also used snaps on these cardis - The thought of so many teeny tiny buttonholes did not fill me with joy and happiness.  I am happy with my decision - the snaps work well with the casual vibe of these cardis.  Aaaaaaand, there are another four in the wings - just waiting for some more snaps to arrive to finish them off!  My Pattern Review can be found here.

Why yes, thanks for noticing, I am wearing more jeans in these photos!  I now have the blue stripes that I mentioned in the last post (see the pink cardi above), some plain black ones (patterned cardi above) with black top stitching, and some thinner blue/black jeans with purple topstitching (lilac cardi).  Here are a couple of close up that show the stitching and the gorgeous co-ordinated pockets, zips and waistbands.  First are the blue/black denim with purple stitching:

And here are the black ones - not sure what happened with the zip colour when I took the photo, but it does match, honest!

This last pic shows that I add a small piece of leather to act as a washer in between the waistband and the pin that gets hammered into the jeans button.  I use a small punch to make the hole in the fabric, and was concerned that the (cough, cough) stress on the waistband might pull the pin out, and this small piece of leather (cut from a bag of offcuts I picked up somewhere, very cheaply!) works perfectly!

So, what is next?  Well, I think that I need some lightweight tops to wear with my jeans, and under a cardi - they would be perfect for layering, and also on their own when (if) Spring arrives.  I have seen quite a few versions of the Gibson blouse, and the Sutton top, and have both of them downloaded and printed!  I also picked up some of this gorgeous fabric which will almost certainly end up as small pouch bags (like I used for the Princess and the Pea)!

How is you sewing coming along?  What plans are you working on?