Random Thoughts

I've been trying to put together a "real" post for a while but nothing has come together yet. In the meantime, here's another edition of Random Thoughts.

• I've worn the new T and like it very much. Sorry, no pictures yet. But it passes the wear test.
• I did spend a weekend in Chicago with a great group of friends! A wonderful girls' weekend featuring the Haute Couture Club's annual fashion show and a visit to the Ebony Fashion Fair exhibit at the Chicago History Museum. 
• I didn't plan to fabric shop, but it was impossible to resist the lure of Vogue Fabrics in Evanston. More on that soon.
• Material Girls was last weekend. Much tracing and cutting of patterns. It's nice doing sewing related things with a group. We all work on our own projects, but it's a nice opportunity for conversation. I got some advice on what size to sew for the First Day of School project from one of the ladies. She sews for her little nieces in Puerto Rico. As a result, I cut a darling little peasant top out of a fabric remnant that's ready to sew up. Should be quick and fun. I'm planning on making some linen pants to go with, so some little girl will have an outfit. 
• I experimented with a free HotPatterns download from Fabric.com yesterday. It's almost complete but I still can't tell if it's going to fit and exactly what it's going to look like. A try-on with the proper underpinnings is in order.
• I submitted my entries to Fiber Arts Fiesta on Thursday. Interesting moment--the sewing competition is run by a long-time ASG friend. There was some confusion when I walked in because she couldn't find my name on her sheet. Well, she was looking for my former name! Yes, and we see each other pretty often and she knew I was married. Too funny!
• DH and I are getting ready for a trip to the Tri-States next week for his college reunion. Other than that, we're still planning out some of the details (we're staying with family so that makes it easy). We will be seeing a Broadway play--we have tickets for the Motown show. 
• Time to get up, more sewing today. I am hoping to sew up new pair of TSW Hudson pants for our vacation. 

What I've Been Working on--Vogue 8817

Kind of quiet here lately, but there has been sewing.

I've been working on a prototype of a  t-shirt from Katherine Tilton's Vogue 8817. It has been blogged in the sewing blogosphere quite a bit for this view:

Although I love this tunic, I'm making the other one:

My version is a good bit plainer, as I'm using some dark charcoal jersey from the Vera Wang Lavender Label collection.  Fabric.com bought out her inventory several years ago (2008?), and I bought several pieces. This is the first of it that I've sewn up.

This T has interesting lines that don't show well on the envelope photos. Princess seams with a two piece center front section, scoop neck, an oval inset in the back, and sleeve bands. The technical drawings show all of this (Views A and B):

I cut my usual size 10/14 combination of sizes, then made some additional width adjustments through the torso. I'm more than the B cup Vogues are drafted for, plus I'm carrying a little more in the waist/hip    right now, too. I also lowered the seam on the center front panel. The original placement hit me in exactly the wrong spot.

I'm almost done with the prototype. I had originally planned to have it ready in time for a trip to Chicago but life intervened. All that's left are the hems, but I'd like to try on the T one more time before stitching them.

Random Thoughts

What to do when there's not enough material for a full blog post but there are things to say? Yep, bullet points and links...

• Seems like everyone in the sewing blogosphere is watching the Great British Sewing Bee online. I'm no exception. I hope someone will bring it to America--without the Bravo/Lifetime style drama, please.
• Not much sewing going on here at Casa DaQ, due to work and tax prep. I'm proud to say we completed our filing today and have received a net refund. Yay!
• Back spasms have also popped up recently. I'm feeling fine today, but spent yesterday afternoon and evening with a long soak in the tub, heat pad, Aleve, and finally a Flixoral. I really do need to look into getting a massage therapist.
• Retail therapy. I have a few packages coming due to on-line shopping. Coldwater Creek (meh, but good for basics and work) and Gorgeous Fabrics (had to jump on the black linen Ann showed on her blog). There's also a bauble coming from Wendy Brandes, who designs lovely jewels as well as writing hilarious blog posts. 
• The St. Michael Vestry thank you dinner is tonight, and I'm one of the honorees! It will be a fun time. And in other church news, I'm in training to be an altar server.
• I just received news that my submissions for the Albuquerque Fiber Arts Fiesta have been accepted! I submitted this jacket and this ensemble.
• Warm weather finally appears to be here in New Mexico (again). For a while, I hope. It's hard to figure out what to wear when temperatures fluctuate between 20 degrees and 80 degrees in a 24 hour period.  Plus, our backyard is designed for outdoor living, and so it will be nice to have that space available to us again.
• And hay fever season seems to finally be at an end. I can wear contacts and can breathe again! Both have been factors in no sewing. 
• We had Jeans Week at work last week as a Heart Walk Fundraiser. We're having another one this week. I'm guessing our site manager really likes life in the West after being on the East Coast for most of his working life. Whatever, I will not look a gift horse (so to speak) in the mouth.
• Mad Men is back! As is Game of Thrones!!

Vogue 8795 Jacket, Complete!

All set! I finished it up today.

Much better now that it's complete, isn't it?

This jacket was a pleasure to put together, despite the exposed separating zipper. I made the jacket 2" longer due to the length of the zipper I was using. Although I added an additional 1" width to the side and arm seams, I ended up not needing most of it.

Here's a closer view of the collar and zipper. The drape is a single layer of the fabric, so that's the reverse side you're seeing, plus the selvedge edge. This photo also shows some sparkle--The fabric has silverly threads knitted in.

All in all, this was a fun project to make and I think there'll be at least one more.

Progress on the Marcy Jacket and a Class

The Vogue 8795 Marcy Tilton jacket is coming along. I've gotten as far as the collar. The zipper is steeping in a cup of hot water to eliminate any residual shrinkage, then I'll proceed with that part. Yes, I'm sewing out of order, but I can't see the guide sheet's purpose in having you assemble the entire jacket then insert the zipper. I want to do side seams after the zipper for two reasons: application will be simpler working on the flat, and I'd like to fine tune the fit.

Anyway, that's progress on the jacket. It still doesn't look like much on the dress form but I don't think it'll take long once the zipper is in

I haven't worked on it much this weekend, because I had a drafting class! Melisa had a class on drafting a skirt sloper Saturday at her store Stitchology, so that was most of the day. It was fun and interesting to start with a blank piece of paper and end up with a basic skirt pattern. And there is no better way to learn how to fit than by watching an expert work with different bodies. I am hoping to construct a "real" skirt soon, because that muslin will never see the light of day!

Another UFO Finished: TSW Ann's Cardigan

I'm not exactly sure how long I've had this one cut out; probably shortly after the first one I made last year. This version has a few variations from the pattern due to the nature of the fabric--a lacy mystery knit in white, green, lavender and navy that I acquired from Walmart some years ago.

I didn't have very much of it and the pattern is pretty busy, so the first thing I did was to eliminate the waist seam by overlapping the upper torso pieces and lower torso pieces at the seamline. Voila, that eliminated some matching. There is no shaping in the waist seam, so doing this didn't affect the fit of the garment at all.

Next, I realized I didn't have much in the way of fabric for the band, so I narrowed it and cut it lengthwise, and instead of folding at center back, I added a seam. And as a result of narrowing the band, I added 1" of  "fit insurance" in the side seams. If you take away from one place, you need to add it somewhere else, right?

I lucked out and found some matching T's at Kohl's this week so I'm good to go.

I already have the next project cut and ready to be sewn-the Vogue 8795 jacket by Marcy Tilton.

I'm using a sweater knit from Gorgeous Fabrics (yes! there's a glint of metallic),

and one of the separating zippers I bought recently at Santa Fe Fabrics.

*****

I've been playing with the blog's layout again. I think I like this one better than the last, although I have lost the "reply" feature on the comments. Stay tuned for more changes as I tweak. Hopefully Google will leave Blogger alone, because I don't want to migrate the blog and its contents. As to Reader, I am annoyed with Google but I guess I'll figure something out. Stupid Google--so much for "not being evil."

TSW Stella Top and Eureka Skirt

So here is the project I worked on all day yesterday--a Stella Top and Eureka Skirt  from a mystery knit that's been aging in the stash. It has a cotton-y feel but I'll bet there's some poly lurking in it too.  And the color is an even darker shade of purple than in the photograph.

The skirt is a fabric hog, but it came out nice. The skirt has an attractive drape to it, and the hem dips at center front and back. The guide sheet had specific instructions on how to assemble and trim all the seams, which was helpful as both pattern pieces were trapezoids.

This is the third time I've made the top and it was an afterthought that I cut in the afternoon and finished in early evening. You see, I have a friend who is on the committee for Fiber Arts Fiesta and she's really pushing hard for entries. As a top and skirt, it fits into one of the categories.

I'm still looking for a couple of other items to enter; we'll see what I can do "for the cause."