A Handknit Aesthetic

I have a tendency to choose darker colors for my Winter appropriate clothing (as most people do).

But it's always nice to have a few pastel knits in the collection.  And since I love just about any shade of purple, lavendar was an obvious choice for my next knitting project.

I was really not aware of it at the time, but I have been on a bit of a Victorian inspired clothing journey, along with a penchant for a good neck/shoulder ruffle.

This particular design is knit with circular needles.  I definitely prefer to piece my knits, mostly because it can start to get a bit cumbersome when the sweater really starts to come together.

But this one isn't too bulky since it sits just below the waist, and my chosen yarn was quite lightweight.

As with many of my hand knits, this project was put aside (although not for very long).  I just wasn't sure how to attack the ruffle portion.

But as with most contemporary knit patterns, it makes so much more sense to me once I have needles and yarn in hand.  I can picture how to put most sewing patterns together in my head, but a page full of knitting abbreviations doesn't do the same for me.

I am, once again, extremely behind in my blog posting.  And if this week's weather is anything to go, it's time to store the long sleeved wool knits away.

But I am trying to post things as I finish them and photograph them, so here we are.

As for this knit project, I will say that it was quite successful.  

I even managed to wear it a few times this Winter, which doesn't always happen with my knit projects.  Maybe I need to get over my disinclination to work with top-down sweaters that are worked in one piece!  

Sweater:  Made by me, Fabel Knitwear
Skirt:  Made by me, Vogue 2902
Shoes:  American Duchess "Ginger"

1970s Does Victorian

The first thing to say about this dress is that my alteration from blouse to dress was 100% successful.

I am still baffled by the loosely fitted View A on this pattern.  It looks horrendous on the model, but the illustration is cute.  This version (View C), however, is great.  Would highly recommend.

The sleeves are slightly bulky, and the ribbon tie is cute, but perhaps not so practical.  It's also quite annoying to tie on one wrist depending on which of your hands is dominant.  (If you have your own personal dresser, this would not be an issue.)

I do think that adding a channel for elastic, or even gathering the lower edge down into a self-drafted cuff would be a cute alternative.  It's interesting to note that while the two Views have completely different bodice choices, there is only one sleeve.  It might have been nice to include an alternative sleeve.

As mentioned in my construction post, the shoulder ruffle isn't quite as ruffly as it could be due to my choice of fabric.

It also seems that the weight of the added hemline ruffle has pulled the skirt sides down slightly.  I suppose that I could unpick the sides and re-attach.  But knowing how much I dislike mending and/or "fixing" things after they are complete, I may just live with it for now.

As for the idea of making a blouse with a rayon print, I am definitely keeping it in mind.

That would also give me an opportunity to  try out a sleeve alternative.  

Then again, I may just get distracted by another shiny object and choose an entirely new to me pattern to try out next.

Dress:  Made by me, McCalls 8490
Shoes: American Duchess "Edith"
Earrings:  Antique

Autumnal Textures

I finished this pumpkin colored sweater in 2024, but only just got around to wearing it.  And part of the reason is that I wanted a classic brown skirt to pair with it.

So now that I have added a brown skirt to my wardrobe, there shall be lots of sweaters to pair with it.

As for the sweater, I am very pleased to have a pumpkin colored cabled option in my collection.

I am also feeling the need to jump into another cabled knitting project.  I just love a textured hand knit!

But seeing as it is already February, I should probably not start another knitting project.

I could, however, think about perusing my older knitting books and magazines to see if anything inspires me.  There are plenty of skeins of yarn in my sewing room that could use some attention.

Then again, looking through all those patterns could encourage me to buy new yarn, and that's the last thing that I need.

As for the color choice, I am thrilled to have a pumpkin sweater of my own, but I am not entirely sold on the Autumn color story for me, personally.

The brown and the tweed are another story - more of those, please.

I am also reminded that I could use more navy or deep blue colors as wardrobe basics . . . and there are always more colors to play with in that stash of fabric mocking me from upstairs.

Sweater:  Made by me, Raglan Cable Knit
Skirt:  Made by me, McCalls 8542
Earrings:  Vintage
Boots:  Calvin Klein "Dawna"

2025, A Year in Review

Butterick 7036 / Swing Coat
Simplicity 2126 / Vogue 2060

Happy New Year!

Vogue 1773 / Simplicity 1644
McCalls 8556 / Vogue 7186

I always like to run through all of the items that I have managed to post on the blog for the year.  The idea is to do a year end summation, but I rarely manage to get everything together before January.  Most of these projects were sewn during 2025, although a couple were finished in prior years, but I never managed to post them until last year.

Anna Dress / Vogue 7186
Simplicity 2841 / Vogue 7083

I do feel that I have done a better job using the fabric and patterns that I had on hand for 2025, which is always nice.  Here is hoping that I continue with that trend.

Honor Roll Top, Vogue 9249 / McCalls 9340
Vogue 1923 / Butterick 3417

And there are a few projects that were technically finished in 2025, but are not yet photographed and/or blogged.  I finished a sweater over the holiday, and I pulled out another unfinished knit project that still needs one sleeve finished and all of the ends woven in.  So perhaps 2026 will be the year of the sweater . . . there are quite a few other UFOs in the yarn category that have been ignored for years and years, so it would be great to get through a few of those.

Vogue 2785 / Vogue 2064

It has been over a week since I have accomplished any garment sewing, and I'm antsy to get back in the sewing room.  My hope is that I manage to finish a coat in the next couple of months, so I better get to it!

Cabbage Roses

Sometimes it's the projects that rattle around in your head for years that are the most satisfying. 

And, more importantly, when you give an idea a bit of time to breathe, sometimes the process becomes more streamlined.

I knew that I wanted to do something with the remaining pieces of this upholstery fabric after making the skirt a few years back.  And I really did hope that I could squeeze a jacket out of them.

I had a couple of patterns in mind, but nothing was perfect.  I was also going to have to make some significant alterations, including adding or changing collar pieces. 

That was going to be a lot of work, and I couldn't be sure that I would be completely happy with the outcome.

I forgot about the remaining yardage for a while, until I happened upon a box of forgotten vintage patterns.  Simplicity 2841 was exactly what I was looking for.

It's embarrassing to admit that I had a box of patterns that I forgot about, but maybe not that surprising considering the amount of them that are stashed away.  But the double breasted 1960s silhouette was exactly what I had imagined to pair with the pleated skirt . . . which reminded me of the abandoned upholstery fabric remnants that I had put away.

A resolution that comes up for me again and again is to use the patterns that have been stashed away for an extended period of time instead of whatever shiny new design gets released and distracts me.

I have been slightly better about that, although there is always room for improvement.

Thankfully, a new pattern often reminds me of a stashed fabric, where an older pattern may require a bit of fabric shopping.  Funny how that works out.

For the time being, however, I really do want to work with the items that I have on hand as the sewing room is getting rather crowded.  This project just happened to use vintage fabric and a forgotten vintage pattern.  And it doesn't get much better than that!

Jacket:  Made by me, Simplicity 2841
Skirt:  Made by me, Butterick 6556
Shoes:  Miss L Fire
Necklace:  Estate Sale