Spring Wardrobe 2016

There is a wardrobe contest over on PR, and I was wanting to join  However, since it started last month, and I only have about 6 days available to sew this month (and that’s pushing it) I’m not going to be able to finish.  I am inspired though, and am going to sew-along.  here is my plan.

Most of these pieces were inspired by the last issue of The Look on the Casual Elegance website.  Part of the plan was inspired by the rules of the contest.  But now that I'm not going to do the contest, I can do whatever I want.  I still like all the pieces I’ve chosen and am anxious to get them made.  Spring came here a lot earlier than expected.  Also, I really need new clothes and it would be great to have a cohesive grouping to take to the PR weekend in Chicago in May.  I’m hoping the weather will be nice there by then.  

So far, I only have made the madagascar tank, which I previously blogged.  I do have cut out the Ascona pants, Bianca sweater, and camel colored Madagascar.  I know how I want to place the lace on this, but I only have a half a yard and will have to piece it.  I have not yet figured out where/how I want to do that.  

Another inspiration from the last “The Look” was this piece.  I used the tank from TSW’s Ann’s top and then cropped a Bianca to make the shrug.  I really like it, but wish I had made the whole think an inch or so longer.  But still, I think it looks pretty good.

And, here are just a few more pictures from my trip to Uganda.  Happy sewing!!

The Sewing Workshop Ann's Top

A few years ago I bought the Ann's Cardigan and top from The Sewing Workshop.  (Well, I probably bought it on Pattern Review)

















I bought this pattern to make the cardigan, and I still want to do it.  I was looking for a pattern to use a for a high-low tank, and ran across this in my pattern stash.  It wasn't what I was looking for, but decided to give it a shot.  I had some pink rayon knit that I've never known what to do with, so I used it to try this out.

I probably needed to go down a size in the neckline because it seems a bit shapeless on me.  The pattern is designed to have unfinished edges, but I decided to do a shell finish edge on the neckline.  My sewing machine has a stitch that does this, so that made it easy.

On this version, I left the tails unfinished, and I like the look.


The whole reason I picked this pattern was because I had something in mind that I wanted to do with a woven.  Unfortunately, this took some extra work and the result was not as good as I expected.  I turned under the edges twice all the way around and stitched them down.

This top may work with a belt, but it won't work for the combination I had in mind. The fit came out OK, but if I were to do this again in a woven, I would need to do a major sway back alteration, or maybe start the slits up higher. Also, I would like to find a better way to clean finish the edges of those points on the hem. But, with all the sewing projects I have lined up, I don't see that happening. If I make this again, I will stick to a knit.

Madagascar Tank

Last week I made Loes Hinse's Madagascar Tank.  I was hesitant to spend $20 on this simple pattern, but I'm glad I did.

Her patterns are just GOOD.  This one fit me straight out of the envelope with NO alterations!  of course, the drapey fabrics recommended allow for a good fit as well.  I have had a few yards of this rayon crepe in my stash for years, so decided to use it.  It was perfect.  I can see myself making many of these.  In fact, I have another cut out already.

This pattern has a CF & CB seamline.  neither are straight.  This is what adds some of the bust and waist shaping.  All seams are serged and the neckline and armholes are just serged, turned under and stitched.  Super simple and fast.

Definitely see more of these in my future.

I've been home for almost two weeks from Uganda, but am just now back on regular time!  I don't usually get jet lag this bad, but for some reason this year it hit me!  I have so much to say, but a picture is worth a thousand words, so I will just show you some of what we did.

 Working with the women from the village is always my favorite part of the trip.  It is also the most difficult since there is more of a language barrier.  However, there is nothing that can match their sweet spirit.
This year we worked on hand sewing and embroidery.  They loved it.
















This is Phyllis. She is from a village I have not yet visited.  Can you believe she is 35?  I thought she was 15!!!  Her husband is in seminary and also working as a pastor.   She was so much fun.   I'm looking forward to seeing  her again.

Some of these ladies I have worked with many times before, others were new this year.  We had a wonderful time and built new friendships while strengthening older ones.  They were very proud of the hats they made. 

While we were in the city, many of the women we worked with lived in the slums.  This is just one of the slums that we visited.  They are everywhere in Uganda.

 At the end of our trip we were able to have a little R&R.  We took our host couple on a boat trip and safari.  It was a much-needed get away for them (and for us too!)

Another Wax Print: Skirt for Uganda - S1717

I've been sewing like the wind the last few days, but not taken time to take any pictures.  However, I did get these today since I wore this to church.  Today we were commissioned out into the mission field by our church.  We leave on Saturday from San Francisco, fly to Dubai, and have an overnight layover.  The next morning we will fly into Uganda.  We will be spending one week with the ladies from the villages and the next week in the city of Kampala.

I made this skirt from Simplicity 1717.  My pattern only went up to a 14, but since I've gained a little weight, I needed to increase the side width even though this pattern has 1" seam allowances.  I don't really think the pattern DOES have 1" seam allowances, because my other skirt was a straight sixteen and it is more fitted than this one.  I love that this skirt has pockets, but next time I would make them higher.  I tried to match the pattern on the skirt and the pocket, and I'm really pleased with how that turned out.

The yoke facing is finished with seam binding.  I was super excited to find this packet of vintage seam binding in my stash.  I think I picked it up at a church rummage sale a few years ago.

I did a lapped zipper,  Unfortunately, I did not get the seams lined up perfectly.  But, this is POWER sewing because I have so much to do in so little time, so it's staying the way it is!

Thankful

Just found that this post had never been published.  It's late, but here it is

At this time of year, it seems I am more aware than at other times of all the things I am thankful for.  I have been blessed with a wonderful husband, a beautiful home, great kids, and so much more.  Above all, I am thankful for salvation and Jesus Christ.

I have not been posting much, but have been very busy!  Recently returned from a trip to Greece and 3 weeks ago had knee surgery.  Before that, I have gotten some sewing done.  Currently, I am doing a lot of knitting and crochet, since I can sit around like a lazy person (or invalid) and do that!  Here are just a few highlights. Some things I have not even taken pictures of :-(

Here is the Bolero Jacket by Loes Hinse



Made some placemats


And - Had a few fails.  This is the CLD A Subtle Twist.  This style is not for me.

Skirt upcycle

The other day (was it yesterday??)  I had to go to ATT to ask some questions about my phone.  Right across the parking lot is the Goodwill.  I need another skirt for my trip to Uganda, so I thought I would take  a look.  I love how the good will has everything separated by item, color, and size.  It makes it so fast to see what you're looking for without having to plow through piles of stuff.  Well, I scored 2 shirts, a tank, a Tee, and a skirt for less than $20!  Everything looked like new (except the skirt) and will work perfectly for my trip.  The skirt had 1/4" elastic sewn between the lining and the skirt and was all stretched out.
The first thing I did was try to take out the elastic.  This would have been a nightmare because the fabric is really loose weave and thin.  The thread is completely embedded into the fabric and almost impossible to get out.  I decided to just cut it off completely.



Next, I got some elastic and cut it to fit a little below my waist.  I sewed it in a circle and divided it into fourths.  I pinned it onto the skirt lining up the Front, back, and side seams with the 4 marks on the elastic.  I zigzagged this on while I stretched it.  That's why the zigzags don't look very even.













Then, I folded the elastic to the inside and pinned it. I used a lot of pins so that the fabric wouldn't get off. Both the skirt and lining are cut on the bias, so it's easy for it to warp.
I stitched this down only about 3/8 inch down, leaving the rest of the elastic free. I learned this little tip from Loes Hinse. She said that it works well for those with a much smaller waist than hips, I usually use 1-1/2" elastic for this, but this one is only one inch.

This skirt is really comfortable, and I think I will be wearing it a lot!

First Uganda Piece finished!

I've been working on McCalls 3129 and am finally finished.  I actually finished last night, but ended up taking out the princess seams in the front and doing them over.  I just couldn't get all of the wrinkles out of the upper bodice.  I finally did today and am much happier with it.  It is still a big large (OK, quite a bit large) but I'm going to wait a week or two before I take it in.




There are a lot of things I don't like about this pattern, and I changed as many as I could.  For one, it's just not that pretty.  (Maybe it's this more matronly figure that still expects to see the younger figure in the mirror!)  The neckline was way too high, so I lowered it.  Another thing I do not like is that the princess seams run directly over the bust point.  I prefer them to be off to the side.

Now, perhaps some of the problems I had were due to the fact that I had already cut this pattern out a few years ago and was trying to make adjustments from there.  But, I gave away the last dress I made from this pattern because I did not like the way the bust fit.  That could be the pattern or it could be that the way I did the FBA just did not come out right.  But, even after I made a muslin this year and tried to make sure it was right, it still came out with a significant curve above where my natural bust is.  Again, this could totally be my fault.

I'm not a big fan of facings, so I found some wide bias tape and used it on the neck.  I used regular bias tape to bind the armholes.

I didn't want this dress to be floor length, but it was still a little shorter than I wanted.  I didn't want to just do a narrow hem because it would keep flipping up.  I had EXACTLY enough wide bias tape to bind the hem!

Another thing I did was to narrow the width of some of the panels.  I just didn't want it that full.

I think I could make this look better by tweaking the fit some, but at this point, I'm just glad to be done with it.  What I love about this?  The fabric!!

Wax Print on the Table - SWAP 2016

This morning I finished altering McCalls 3129.  It doesn't look like much on the envelope, but I needed something that would work with the wax print (they're kind of stiff), would be long and comfortable.  AND I have this pattern in my stash.  So, this afternoon, we'll give it a shot.  Originally I was going to do sleeves, but I'm going to make it sleeveless, and I'm going to use seam binding instead of facings.  I spent a lot of time on the muslin, but since I don't want to make a second muslin, I'm hoping for the best :-)




















This will be the first thing I am making for the trip and the first item in my SWAP!

Marathon Sewing to make it to Africa!

I need to get busy and sew some clothes for my trip to Africa.  I cannot take what I have taken in the past because I have gained too much weight.  I was planning on making a couple of dresses and skirts. I have some wax prints that I have purchased on past trips to Uganda, so I wanted to use those.  I also purchased a couple of fabrics to coordinate.  In the picture on the left, I purchased the brown and the bright green.

Now, it is JANUARY, and that means that the SWAP over on Stitchers Guild is in full swing.  I always forget about this until after the holidays.  I went over to check it out, and decided that I'm going to participate.  I was going to wait and start after I return from Uganda, but then I decided that that was not smart since I have so much sewing to do for my trip.  I knew there would have to be a way to combine the two!

Next, I decided to pull out some solids to see what would work.  The brighter of the greens in the picture below is the same as the one in the previous picture.  Everything else is in my stash.





On the right we have

• white rayon jersey
• orange cotton jersey
• maroon rayon jersey
• peacock silk noil
• green cotton Kona solid
• green linen

I'll be posting my plan and more later.  Right now I'm posting this to make myself even more committed to do it.  Also, I want to start working on my blog again.  I'm so frustrated by the blogs that you have a zillion ads and pop ups that keep you from even reading or finding out what is there.  I don't blog to make money.  I blog because I enjoy it and to share my love of sewing.

This is an African Wax Print that I bought on one of my first trips to Uganda.  I've been wanting to make a maxi dress out of it for years.

 

I made a handbag out of this wax print and have enough left to make a skirt.

I bought this blue multi print rayon challis a few years ago.  The solid silk noil will work well with it.

The good thing about dressing in Uganda is that everyone mixes prints and wears the brightest of colors.  I'm really getting excited about my trip!

Preparing for Uganda

At the end of this month I am making another mission trip to Uganda. It has been over 2 years since I've been there, so I'm anxious to go! THis year I am going with another friend named Kathryn. I've been trying out different things to teach the ladies to sew. The challenge is always that I never know how many women will be there, how many days each one will be there, and the fact that the treadle machines don't work half the time, if we have them at all! So, I decided that we need a project to make with just hand sewing while they take turns using the sewing machine. On the machines I think we will be making this bag.

There are a few things I will change, but it's a pretty simple pattern. I added a pocket on mine, and if I make another one for myself, I will make pockets on the lining. Kathryn is not a sewer, so she will be my guinea pig as to whether this will be a good project to make!










I'm not really happy with the way the handle is put together, I didn't do the best job, I've done shoulder straps like this before, and they never look very neat.  But for our purposes, I think it will be good enough.


The lining has a velcro closure, which is fine.
All in all, it's not too bad of a bag.  I'm thinking it will be great for carrying around knitting projects, but I will have to exchange that velcro for a snap.  Yarn always snags on velcro

Minimalist Wardrobe or Wardrobe simplified - Concepts

found on pinstripeandpearls.com

If you go on Pinterest and search "minimalist wardrobe", you will get hundreds of results.  Now that I am no longer a slave to the clock (aka retired), my lifestyle is different, and my wardrobe needs have changed.  But, working or not, minimalism is a reality that many of us are beginning to embrace.  Less is more (I'm trying to learn)  Granted, I'm not ready to whittle down to the bare minimum in clothes, 2 pairs of shoes, and go live in a "tiny house", but I find all of those things inspiring.
I live in a relatively big house, stay active, and love to travel.  This means that I want to keep things as simple as possible.  This means that I need to get rid of A LOT of STUFF!  I've noticed that I have certain favorite things that I wear over and over again.  I also have a few things that I want to grab, but never seem to have in my closet.  Of course, it is summer, and clothing needs will be different in the winter.  We basically only have 2 seasons here: summer, and a fallish-winter.
So first, the things I wear all the time (this summer)

1. capri jeans
2. beige denim shorts
3. *black hand-sewn cotton jersey skirt
4. *black and white yoga skirt
5. white knit short sleeved top
6. chambray long sleeved shirt
7. *orange 3/4 sleeve "Now" shirt
8. *red linen dress
9. *black rayon simple dress
10. *floral linen simple dress
11. *linen gauchos/coulottes

Then there are things I always seem to reach for, but either don't have, or don't have enough of:

1. white sleeveless top
2. black sleeveless top
3. lightweight jacket
4. another comfortable dress (my red linen one has about bit the dust.)

Of course in the winter, there will be more long sleeves, pants, and sweaters.  And, you're going to have "special" clothes, like special occassion, work-out, gardening/cleaning/painting clothes, etc

What I'm looking for is to build a CORE wardrobe.  Something so that I'll always have something ready to wear.  Of course it's fun to sew lots of colorful things and use prints, but those aren't the clothes I wear most often.  Also, this will make it much easier for packing for trips.

I'm formulating a sew-along, so keep watching!

found on buzzfeed.com