Something new, times two.

I spent the day with Sergio and Ken yesterday, and came away with two new skirts!

The first is one I'd started earlier in the week, Simplicity 2314.  A very simple, four-panel flared skirt with lapped side zipper.  I bought the pattern in the fall with a specific purpose in mind.  Ever since 1997, I've wanted to recreate this outfit from Rowan 22:

I just love everything about it:  the sweater (which of course is a Kim Hargreaves design), the skirt, the tights and sandals, the scarf, the beret.  But fall and winter passed, and I never got around to it.

Last month I was doing a little online fabric shopping and saw this Anna Maria Horner fabric.  I got fooled by my monitor into thinking it would be a good match for my Winnie sweater.  I was wrong.  But I do love the fabric.  And I'm pleasantly surprised by the fit of the skirt.

The pattern is a "Learn to Sew" pattern, and it actually took me a while to make - there were too many directions!  I know, that's the pot calling the kettle black, isn't it?  Anyway, this is a straight size 12.  It sits on my natural waist and fits everywhere!  All four vertical seams are perfectly straight, and my hips are not, so I wasn't sure it would work for me.

Trying to show you the side zip.

Once I finished that one up, I made yet another Ginger skirt - this time in a coral pink that's almost the same as my kimono dress.  I told you I love this color!  It goes with SO many tops I have, some of which I haven't been able to wear for a long time for lack of a bottom piece.  I tried a bunch of them on yesterday with the skirt, and Hubby was doing a little critique of which pieces he thought went best.  Too precious!

Did anybody else do any crafting over the weekend?  We don't celebrate Easter or Passover, but we did have a very lovely day outside in the beautiful spring weather on Saturday.  And I got my weekly banh mi!

(Primarily) Self-Made Woman

I took some time to do a little photoshoot this morning before I headed out to run errands.  I've got a backlog of finished pieces I've been too lazy to model and photograph, and I managed to snap pix of all but one of them today.  I'll spread them out over a couple of posts though.

So let's start out with this week's finished pieces, the Ginger skirt and the Butterick blouse.  You all know how a Ginger looks by now, and having now made this pattern five times, I really don't have anything to say about it other than, look how great it goes with my new blouse!

I put on my most padded bra, and now the blouse is starting to grow on me.  I think in a size 8 it will be just right.  Hmmm . . . decisions!

I'm not sure I mentioned it yet, but when I got started on the blouse I was surprised to discover that there are no horizontal bust darts.  There are, however, two vertical double-ended darts in the back and the sides are quite shaped, so the finished product actually does have more shape than I'd thought it would.

Putting this together reconfirmed my need to hand-baste in sleeves - always.  I didn't do it on the first sleeve, and ended up having to pick out and re-sew a couple sections.  I did baste the second sleeve, and it came together so much easier - and it hangs better than the one I didn't baste.

This shot is here mostly so you can see
my shoes better.

I love this outfit for a spring day - red, yellow and blue!  When I went out, I wore a yellow sweater I made years ago.  Also note that I've coordinated my nail polish and even added a bezel-set murrini glass ring I made a few years ago:

China Glaze Happy Go Lucky

I know.

Last but not least, here are today's silly shots:

Oh Sergio, I love you so much!

You do things for me that Ken doesn't do.
Sigh.

Sewing Week So Far (previews)

Today I made blouse #1 from my plan, Butterick 6085 from way back in 1999:

See down there in the lower right hand corner, how it says "Fast and Easy Classics?" Ummm . . . compared to what?  It took me 4.5 hours to make this "simple" blouse. Granted, that included cutting out, but still . . .  I'm no stranger to making shirts and blouses, and this one doesn't even have the added effort of a collar stand or cuffs.

And I made it too big.  Again.  Here's how it went down.  Last week when I was getting ready to make this, I took a look at the finished measurements.  The bust for my size was 38" - a lot more ease than I wanted.  So I decided to go down a size.

Last night I traced all the pieces for size 8.  The front looked small.  I held it up to my body.  It felt small. I took a few minutes to read some reviews on Pattern Review, and a couple of them said the fit runs small on this one.  So I got scared off and retraced it all back up to the size 10 (my normal).  It's got quite a bit of ease. Not unwearable, but more relaxed than I usually wear.

Sorry for the bad light, but this is just a preview.

Thankfully, the fabric is very soft and has a lot of drape.  This is a cotton voile I got from Fabric.com.  I like it because it reminds me of Liberty prints.  But without the price tag.  I had enough left over to make a yummy soft infinity scarf too!

Infinity isn't as big as I'd thought it would be.

I remembered to use my favorite new trick for collars, courtesy of Pattern Runway:

It makes such a difference in how nicely the corners turn:

I really like the buttons I picked up yesterday:

So, I'm on the fence about this pattern.  I'm not quite sure I want to sacrifice my Anna Maria Horner voile to it, even if I go back down to the size 8.  It's very plain - almost camp shirt-like.  I'm going to have to think on it.

But - it goes great with the new Ginger, which is what I bought the fabric for:

This one is made from organic cotton twill, also from Fabric.com.  It's the same fabric I used for my Madeleine skirt (which is growing on me).  While I think it was a little too heavy and stiff for the Madeleine, it works great for the Ginger.  I originally chose this color to go with my Pussy Bow Blouse, but after I finished it yesterday, I spent some time going through my closet and finding other tops that go with it.  Look how great it is with this '50s sleeveless blouse:

I can't wait to wear these together in summer!  This blouse has some really inspiring details too:  all the designs are created by manipulating this striped fabric:

Just look at this collar!

and these tucks!

I bought this blouse many years ago; it's in perfect condition because it was dead stock.  But I've hardly ever worn it because it's a little short.  So I'm very excited to be able to wear it with this high-waisted skirt!

So I guess this is the moment of truth . . . since blouse #2 is on hold, it looks like tomorrow I'll start working on the pants!

Gingerly

Back home now, after spending a lovely two days with my family in Michigan.  I ended up wearing one Ginger skirt and packing another, and I was pleased that I styled each of them in a new way.

On Thanksgiving, I wore my "Special Ginger" - the one I made for the Sewalong with the pretty bow print fabric.  I had Hubby snap a pic right before we hit the road:

This is really more of a spring and summer skirt, but after I made it this summer, I never wore it!  It felt so special to me that I was keeping it for a special occasion - which never materialized!  I realized it was silly to have a piece I'd made and loved just hanging in the closet, and inspired by the styling posts Caitlin has been doing on the Colette blog, I paired it with a plain white tank, dark charcoal sweater, charcoal tights and black booties.  I was pretty pleased with the look, and happy to finally wear my skirt.

This worked for me because the patterning on the skirt contains white, medium grey, dark grey and black against the pale jade background.  I don't think I've ever mentioned it before, but I tend to be a matchy-matchy person!  I really have a hard time putting together outfits with contrasting colors, especially with print fabrics.  Any ideas out there of alternate ways I could style this skirt?

On Black Friday (in which I did not participate), I wore my "Magic Ginger."  I call it that because it goes with so many tops I have!  I wore it with an ecru tank and the Ash shrug/cardi I had knit years ago from Rowan 36.  It was nice and warm so I got to go bare-legged with some plain black ballet flats.  But I didn't get any photos until later in the day, by which time we were bowling.  Not the most appropriate outfit for bowling, but it was a whole lot of fun!  I stink at bowling, by the way!

Sorry if my white legs are blinding you!

And here are some gratuitous shots of the lake near which I grew up.  I took it for granted as a kid and never really realized what a pretty lake it is.

I hope everyone who celebrates it had a fabulous Thanksgiving, and that those who don't had a stellar end to the week!

Surprise!

Remember this goofy photo?

Well, Caitlin emailed me a few weeks ago via flickr and asked if I would like to be a Featured Seamstress on the Colette blog!  I have to admit I'd forgotten about it, and when I was scrolling down my reader this morning, it was kind of a shock to come across my own face!

If you're interested in sewing and aren't reading the Colette blog, you really ought to be!  And if you've come over here from the Colette blog, welcome!  It's no secret I'm a big fan of Sarai, Caitlin and the brand.  My new favorite thing is the outfit/styling posts (a la Polyvore) Caitlin has been doing lately, showing different ways of styling Colette garments.  Genius!

Speaking of Colette patterns, I'm slowly working toward making the Peony dress.

I've traced the size 2 bodice pieces and will be making a REAL muslin this time.  I want to get the fit just right.  But I'm taking my time; Hubby bought me The Colette Sewing Handbook the day it came out, and I've been reading a little bit each day.  I think I will have to do a fair number of adjustments with this pattern, so the information in the book will be invaluable.  Sadly, I don't think I'll have any time for sewing until after the holiday.

But - I have finished the back of my 1958 sweater!  I started the first pocket lining, but ended up spending much of my day yesterday editing an article for my brother-in-law, after which we headed over to our local jazz club to hear Kenny Barron.  And after that we went out to get Indian food.  Mmmmm . . . curry!

Channeling Bonnie Parker

Am I right?

Jasmine and Ginger

Hmmm . . . Which bank should I rob next?

I'm totally cracking myself up!

Winter Ginger

I didn't do the things I'd planned to do over the weekend, and I did do the things I'd planned not to do!  I did a whole lot of sewing, and a little bit of knitting.  I finished this:

Colette Ginger skirt

I couldn't get a good photo of it, but I'm really happy with this skirt.  It fills a gap in my wardrobe; although I do have another charcoal skirt, it sits lower on the waist.  This one I can wear with some of my handknit tops that are more cropped, so I'm very happy about that.

The fabric is a piece of gabardine I found in my stash box when I went looking for pieces to use for clutch lining.  I have no recollection of where or why I bought it, but I must have used it for something; I could see that pattern pieces had been cut out of it!  I was happy that the piece was large enough to cut this skirt.  It's a very deep charcoal grey and has fantastic drape and heft.  I'm not sure what the fiber content is, but it made it through the washer and dryer just fine, and I'm able to steam iron it on the wool setting with no ill effects, so I'm thinking it may be rayon.

I also did a little work on the Jasmine blouse I started about a week ago.  The fabric is a polyester chiffon; I'm finding it very difficult to work with, but I just love the print!  And it goes great with the new skirt!

Because this fabric is so slippery, it makes me tense (muscularly speaking) to work on it for very long, so I've been taking my time.  I've got the body and the collar assembled:

 
So I'd say I'm about half way done.  I still have to make the sleeves and attach them,  attach the collar and facing and do the hem.  I'm considering this one as my muslin, since the fabric was quite inexpensive, but if it turns out nicely, I'd love to do one in silk.  It's such a great design.

As for the knitting, Betty is progressing but is on hold while I wait for one more ball of yarn to come in the mail.  So in the meantime, I started something new.  But that will have to be tomorrow's post!

Feelin' Zesty

I finally wore my first Ginger skirt yesterday to go up to Evanston.  Yes, I couldn't contain myself any more; I had to visit the flagship store of Vogue Fabrics!  The good news is, what I saw was pretty much the same as what the store in my neighborhood has, so I didn't buy a single thing!  Here are the modeled photos of the skirt, to show the fit.

And here's how I put it together into an outfit:

Sunnies:  Boden
Jacket:  J. Crew
Oxford:  J. Crew
Wedges:  Naturalizer
Nails:  China Glaze Electric Pineapple

Here's a closer look at the nails - I'm totally digging this color:

China Glaze Electric Pineapple
Island Escape collection, summer 2011

Show and Tell

Because, really, isn't that what a blog is?  Show and tell for grown-ups?

The entirety of Monday afternoon was spent finishing the two Ginger skirts.  And here they are:

Don't mind the un-fancy shoes.

Let's see . . . what shall we call this one?  Fit to be Tied?  I'm Your Present?  I'm ridiculously happy with this.  Honestly, I think it is the best thing I have ever sewn. Here's the back:

And here's the inside of the hem:

This was my first time using hemming tape, and I really like it.  I love knowing there is a pretty bit on the inside of my clothing that only I know about.

And here's the serendipitous Ginger:

No shoes now!  What is the world coming to?

This one came together much faster because 1) I'd already done this pattern twice and 2) I didn't do any piping.  I wasn't sure I would like the final product, but I really do!  It's going to look great with the gold metallic/flax linen and navy espadrilles I got from J. Crew several years ago.

Whew!  Now that those two projects are finished, maybe I can (finally) clean my house!

Weekend Roundup

I spent the better part of the weekend sewing.  I got most of my second Ginger skirt done, then had to let it hang before hemming.  Apparently this is a good idea for items cut on the bias, although I can't honestly say I saw any difference at all between pre- and post-hang.  Here are some peeks:

Waistband

I cut the waistband carefully, to look like my waist is tied up in ribbons!

The almost-finished, hanging skirt.
I'm very pleased with it!

When I started making the first Ginger (the lemon skirt), I had to get into my box of stashed fabric to find my fusible interfacing, and I found this:

printed denim

I have no recollection of where or why I bought this, but I was pretty happy to find it!  I considered making this paper-bag waist skirt with it, but then decided to stick with something I knew would look good on me, so it's well on its way to becoming Ginger #3.

Close up.  I can't figure out if the white portions are
resist (undyed) or printed on.  The white doesn't
go through to the back.

Of course all the sewing and ironing made a mess of my nails, so I put some Konad on top of Shay:

Zoya Shay
China Glaze Joy
Bundle Monster plate BM203

Please don't click on the picture!  Macro shows flaws I can't see with my bare eyes!  I like this pattern a lot more than I was expecting to.  It reminds me of endpapers in an old book.  And the China Glaze Joy - wow!  I bought the whole Romantique collection months ago, specifically for stamping, and have only used them as such. But this color is absolutely stunning, and I think I'll have to use it on its own one of these days.

FO Preview

I was a busy little bee this week and finished not only Mandarine but also my first Ginger skirt.  Here they are, unmodeled:

Mandarine

You can't really tell from the photos, but the buttons are navy and pearly white.  I LOVE navy and orange together, especially if you throw in some white!

Ginger skirt by Colette Patterns,
version 1

I am SO happy with my finished skirt.  I'm glad I did this version first rather than the one cut on the bias.  Now that I know it is successful, I feel a lot better about cutting into my lovely bow fabric!

This was the very first time I altered a pattern to my measurements, and the fit is perfect.  I can't wait to make lots more of these.  The cut is so flattering, it makes me look much slimmer than I actually am!

It was also the first time I inserted piping into a seam, and only the second time I've done an invisible zipper.  I made myself go slowly and carefully, and was successful with both:

I think I could even wear them together!