Shades of Emerald

This color combination takes me back to my childhood choral uniform.  Our performance outfits were a very similar combination, although the dark pinafore was more teal than green, and perhaps the collared blouse was a slightly lighter shade.  But the overall theme is the same.

Of course, I didn't realize what I had done until I put these two items on one morning and had a bit of a flashback.  

I never got around to sharing this sweater, except for minimally on Instagram, and I think that the construction photos got eaten by a failing external drive.  It's a vintage pattern that was reproduced by Susan Crawford in A Stitch in Time.  

I was smart enough to put some basic info on Ravelry, so I know that I knit this in 2016.  I remember being slightly disappointed in the length of the sleeves, until I decided I would "hem" them by folded up a bit and hand stitching it into place.  In the end, I think this gives a nicer finish than the cast on edge, so perhaps that was a happy mistake!

The skirt was an experiment with a made-for-knits sewing pattern that was quite successful.  And honestly, a solid colored wool skirt is always a good idea, in my opinion.

I have been wearing this skirt lately, and I do love bright colors in the Winter months.  Well, I guess I love bright colors all year round, but it's nice to get out of the rut of wearing black when it's raining and it gets dark at 4 p.m.  Color really does elevate my mood sometimes.

I love the sweater.  Sometimes my knit projects are not very well thought out, and I end up with a collection of knits that match nothing in my wardrobe.  This is not one of those!

And I do love a tie at the neckline, even if I really dislike knitting a long strip - all that switching back and forth on the needles drives me bonkers.  But I suppose the aggravation was worth it in this case!

Sweater:  Made by me, "Jersey with a Soft Bow"
Skirt:  Made by me, Vogue 8685
Shoes:  Vince Camuto

Emerald Green Wool

This skirt was stitched together back in 2022, but I only got around to wearing and taking photos last year, and here we are, two years later, finally getting around to talking about the project on the blog.  I'm not even sure that this garment made it on my Instagram account.

I really loved making multiple versions of Vogue 8685, which is a dress pattern made for a stable knit.  I made a polka dot version, a solid rayon ponte version, and made a knee length ponte version in solid black (which also never made it to the blog), and decided that it would make a lovely skirt.

Well, I wasn't sure that I wanted a knit skirt in my wardrobe, or that I would even find a knit fabric that I wanted to make into a skirt.  But I did have plenty of wool yardage.  So I decided to see if the design would work in a woven.

Spoiler alert . . . it did.  Now, I did add a bit of extra width to the hips since my wool coating doesn't have the same amount of stretch as a ponte knit.  That alteration worked great.

The wool is not lightweight at all, so an invisible zipper was out of the question.  I ended up using a regular zipper with a lapped application.

It's definitely a bit bulky, but I think this was the best choice for the fabric.

As with most of my waistbands, I added a bit of plastic boning to keep the wide band from collapsing.

It only takes a bit more time/effort, and it really makes a difference that an interfacing cannot accomplish on its own.

The skirt itself is not lined, but to finish the raw edges of the wool I cut out duplicates of the yoke in a cotton that I had on hand to serve as a partial lining.

And a pair of ribbon hangers is something I always like to add to the waist seam because I hate the marks that hanger clips leave.

This particular wool does not fray very much at all, but I still wanted to have a clean finish, and I happened to have a very complimentary colored seam binding on hand, so I wrapped all remaining raw edges with it.

Because this fabric was extra wide (I think it was somewhere around 64"!) I was able to make the skirt nice and long, and give myself a generous hem for a flared shape.

And since there was a nice seam binding finish at the hem, I decided to catch-stitch the edge.

This is probably one of my most used patterns.  While it is technically a modern style, it does have very classic lines, but is slightly more interesting than a standard skirt.

And I don't think I will ever be able to say no to adding another wool skirt option to my closet!

Feeling a Bit Dotty

Just checking in, because it has been quite a while since I felt any motivation for blogging.  

And it's been a strange few weeks, to say the least! 

While I have been fairly productive (although the level varies from day to day), I have not felt the urge to go through photos or post to this blog.

But I decided to jump back in.

Do I feel confident that posting consistently will resume sometime soon?  Probably not.  But I am going to try to get back in the swing of things.

I find that posting to Instagram is much easier for me these days.  But it's the lazy way out, and I do like to have a record of my finished projects here.

When this began, I knew I had enough project materials to keep me busy for quite some time, so being forced to stay home did not seem like a horrible imposition since I had plenty to occupy my time.  What I didn't expect was missing the routine of going to work.  And even when I am not missing the office, I know that Valentino is.  He definitely misses that extra interaction (and the extra treats from co-workers!).

In the mean time, I am getting a lot of unfinished and abandoned projects completed, going on a brisk daily walk by myself to clear my head, and spending lots of time with my pup.

I hope everyone is doing well.  Stay healthy!  And happy sewing, knitting, reading, lounging on the couch, or whatever it is you are up to these days.

Dress:  Made by me, Vogue 8685
Shoes:  Nina "Serena"
Earrings:  Judith Jack

Repeated Patterns

Well, here we go again.  I loved my first version of Vogue 8685 so much, I decided to make another.

The only changes that I made for this version were to shorten the sleeves and add length to the skirt.  Because the below the knee skirt pieces are 60" wide at the hem, I had to take a little bit of width out of them when I extended the length by 2.5".  I am slowly becoming accustomed to my serger and knit fabrics, although I am not sure I will ever prefer knits to wovens.  This rayon blend ponte was also very easy to work with, so that helps with the process.

But what I wanted to talk about today is using the same pattern multiple times.  Perhaps it is my guilt over not using the many, many other pattern options in my stash, but I suspect my issue with repeat pattern usage is for another reason entirely.

I started my sewing journey with hand embroidery, mostly counted cross stitch when I was probably four or five years old.  I didn't begin using a machine and making clothing until high school (and to this day, I prefer the control of a hand stitch to a machine one), so when I went to college I had very few pieces of hand made clothing in my wardrobe and only a few patterns in my possession.  Two of my early projects included two cotton sundresses from the same pattern, although they were made from different fabrics and had different style straps.

My college theatre department employed an incredibly talented but rather tough taskmaster who was the costume designer for the theatre and also taught a few classes related to her craft.  I vividly remember one day when I arrived at her costume history class in one of my cotton dresses; she made an offhanded comment asking if I knew how to sew any other pattern (she had previously seen the other "matching" dress).  She knew I had some sewing skills as I also worked for her in the costume department, and the words stung.

Now, looking back on the moment, I see how ridiculous it was that I took a flippant remark so personally.  But the comment has stuck with me all these years.  And I still feel as though I am cheating or being lazy by not trying something new.

But why not take advantage of a great pattern and get the most mileage out of it that you can?  In the last few years, I am getting more on board with using patterns over and over.  Maybe swap out a sleeve, or simply change the length of a hem; then again, why not make two or three of the same skirt.  A different type of fabric, or even a different print is probably enough to make most people think you have two entirely different garments in your wardrobe.  And some of the most chic people I can think of wear what is basically a uniform.  When you find a style of silhouette that works for you, why not use it to your advantage?!

All this to say, I am still working on getting Kristine's voice out of my head when I use the same pattern for a second or third time.  My impressionable mind gave her words a little too much weight.  And she did entrust me with a number of complicated projects over the two years I spent working for her, so her comment probably had more to do with her rather sharp tongue than any deficiency in my abilities she may have seen.

When I started sewing apparel a couple of years prior, another woman told me to avoid zippers at all costs because they were horrible to install.  That same lady didn't shy away from set-in sleeves on my very first dress project, so go figure.  And I should say, I have never been afraid of setting in a sleeve, but it took me years to get over the fear of installing a zipper.  It's funny the things that make an impression . . . sometimes for no real reason at all.

What do you think?  Do you have any sewing hangups that you attribute to some random comment you heard when you were starting out?  I have heard my fair share of stories, usually something about sleeves, or buttonholes, or zippers.  So silly, right?!  Just start at the beginning and work your way through.  Although, I have probably scared some people away from polyester.  I have strong words for synthetic fabrics, and I am not afraid to let people know what I think of the fiber.  Maybe I should take it easy on the synthetics.  But then again, maybe not!

A Classic Silhouette in Rayon Ponte

Last month I finally found a fabric that would work with Vogue 8685, a pattern that I have wanted to try for years.

It all started with a thick rayon ponte that I picked up at JoAnn Fabrics.  I still can't believe my luck finding this fabric (and in a color that I love) at a store that carries a metric ton of polyester fleece!

I took out a slight wedge from the upper back bodice as I normally do, but from these photos, it looks like I could have taken even more length out of center back.

Next time, and there will definitely be a next time, I will take a bit out of the bodice yoke piece.  

Or maybe it has more to do with the way I am standing in the photos . . . .

I will have to pay attention next time I wear the dress.

The other issue I had with the pattern was the sleeves.  As drafted, they are HUGE.  I do not have skinny arms, and the sleeves looked ridiculous straight out of the pattern envelope.  But as far as modifications go, it was a simple one.

And other than those small issues, I love the way this turned out.

The dress even matches my Royal Vintage shoes perfectly.

It is also a fabulous match to my plaid wool coat that I made back in 2016.  The garment never got much wear until this Winter.  Now I can't get enough of this piece of outerwear.  

And I have my new dress to thank for reminding me of its existence!

Dress:  Made by me, Vogue 8685
Coat:  Made by me, Vogue 9071
Shoes:  Royal Vintage "Marilyn"
Necklace:  Made by me
Earrings:  Vintage