knits!

I was inspired by all the pictures around the internet of people's Renfrews, so I got a copy of the pattern, got a bunch of jersey, and got over my inherent fear of knits!

My  first try had my usual adjustments (lengthen above the waist, swayback), and it was great for figuring out what settings my machine needed for knits and getting confidence with construction. However, there was way way too much ease for my liking in the size 10 the envelope said I should be using. Enter another round of tracing and altering and generally fiddling with the pattern, and I have this:

This time it is a size 6, 1" added above the waist, 6" (!)  hacked off the bottom (I like my shirts to end near the waist, apparently), 1 1/2" swayback adjustment, and a shortened waist band to account for the new seamline width.

I used the leftover pink bamboo rayon from the first (semi-failed) version for the waist and sleeve bands, as it was conveniently an exact colour match (at least I'm consistent in my colour lust, haha).

It didn't occur to make a pattern matching attempt until it was already all cut out, der. Maybe I'll remember when I'm working with the blue/black version of this fabric that's in my stash.

So there you go, knits aren't half as tricky as I had feared, and I have a new pattern obsession. This one got whipped off yesterday in between going to buy more hair dye and lazzing about with my man, and I've already finished another one in purple!

Doesn't exactly match my hair, haha, but similar!

I plan on trying out all of the neckline options, and possibly patterning some new ones if I get gutsy, but the sleeves will probably stay short; I always seem to overheat wearing long sleeves, and am actually contemplating how I might make this sleeveless.

Anyway, there's already a pretty blue version with the scoop neck option, sitting cut out and ready to go on my table, but that may have to wait until after some gaming. Wouldn't want to be TOO productive :P.

sometimes i'm nice to people :)

I realised that there aren't any pictures up here yet of the things I have made for other people, and it's high time that was rectified.

Mostly I stick with garment sewing, but for x-mass last year I ventured out of my comfort zone and made a quilt for my mom. I think it turned out pretty well for a first attempt, although of course it wasn't particularly complicated.

She lovely gardening, so I appliquéd veggies, flowers, and insects onto half of the squares. (this sounds fancier than it was, I just stuck them in place with chunks of steam-a-seam tape, and then zig-zaged around the edges with contrasting thread). The background is all green/brown toned for the dirt, and the backing is sky blue flannelette so that it's nice and cozy to use for curling up on the couch is she wants. I used the thickest batting my local big fabric shop had, which was a pain to work with, but ended up nice and fluffy. The layers are quilted together around the edges of the squares. It was quite the learning process, and there are things I would do differently next time, but my mom loves it, and that is the important thing :). (I kind of want to make myself one of the same style, but made to look like a chess board, mid game).

I do a fair bit of sewing with/for one of my friends, usually in lovely up-half-the-night marathon sewing sessions full of girly-ness, bad tv, and junk food, haha. Unfortunately, I didn't think to take pictures of the two sun-dresses I made for her last summer, but I do have some of the corset/bustier we made from the leftover dress fabric. It was loosely based on simplicity 9769, and altered for fit and length.

While I'm looking for dramatic waist reduction in a corset, she wanted one that was snug and supportive, but not too tight (slender thing she is there isn't much "squish" to her waist anyway). It's boned with rigilene, and has a lining/strength layer of cotton twill. We bound it with black satin bias tape I had lying around, and closes with black satin ribbon laced through a printed black lacing tape.

When I finally get around to making some for myself, they will be constructed rather differently, but as this doesn't have to stand up to tight-lacing, we went with looks over industrial strength durability :).

And finally, not exactly for someone specific, are these cuties.

I mostly made them to avoid working on a Chantilly in the same fabric (damn procrastination). I saw scraps, an early seventies bikini pattern I had lying around, and couldn't resist. However, they do not even remotely fit me, so I will either by seeing if one of my skinny friends wants them, or throwing together the matching bikini top and saving them up for when I get around to getting a credit card and opening an etsy shop, haha.

Oh right, I guess this counts too. Using the same pattern as the purple one, but with no alterations except for lacing up the front as well as the back, I made myself a little white eyelet corset with pink binding and pink ribbon laces.

It was mostly a test piece, and did not fit me very well (too big in the bust, too small in the hip, an awkward mid-bust height, etc). So instead of letting it languish unworn in my closet, it went to join it's purple companion in my dear friend's wardrobe. This one has spiral steel boning and proper grommets, but is otherwise the same construction as the other one.

Sometimes it's nice to share :).