Lagniappe: Scarf Ring

For this project, I revisited the olive diamond patterned knit I used to make a Loes Hinse Cowl Top. I didn't have a lot of fabric left, but there was an 18" piece at the end that was the full width. Not much, but more than I'd want to just toss. What to do with such a small piece?

My inspiration was a recent J. Jill catalog that featured a couple of sweaters with removable cowls, the perfect way to make my top more versatile and use that remnant.

 J. Jill So-Simple Dress

J. Jill So-Simple Pullover

I've been seeing scarves like this on lots of sewing sites and in RTW. The NY Times has gone so far as to declare convertible clothing a trend.

It would have been simple enough to wing it, but I used directions from a recent Vogue Patterns Magazine since I had them. Basically, sew a tube, beginning and ending the stitching about 4" from the ends of the fabric. Turn right side out and sew the ends of the tube together. Hand stitch the opening closed. Done! This quick shot shows what it looks like with the original garment:

My scarf ended up 64" in circumference and 8 1/2" wide, a generously sized scarf. While I first envisioned just a cowl neck, this is a good bit larger. It needs to be looped twice around the neck to look like a cowl.  I'm sure there are other configurations that I'll discover as I wear it. The scarf will also go with other items in my closet.

I'm never going to be one of those sewists who feels that she has to use every inch of fabric left over from a project. However, playing with remnants is a low-stress way to play around and think a little bit out of the box.

Stashing the Extras

Carolyn at Diary of a Sewing Fanatic recently posed some questions about notions and buttons stashing on her blog:

I'm pretty sure that if you are a stasher/collector of fabric, you probably stash the extra stuff too...and that if you purchase a piece or two at a time that you probably purchase all of your extra stuff that way too.  Now I'm wondering which way is more effective...

Which caused me to ponder on whether or not having such a large collection of buttons and trims helps or hinders my projects? 

Of course I responded, but it also got me to thinking that this was a pretty good topic for my own blog post. So I'm going to expand on my responses. Should be interesting, at least to me!

So the question of the day is, Do you collect/stash the extra stuff?  If you do, why do you?

I stash the extra stuff too! Here are my reasons why:

• My local resources are limited, so I can't get whatever I want when I want it.
• I'll buy for a specific project, and the project morphs. The items I bought at the beginning of the project then get stashed away. While I don't mind modifying projects as I go, it does result in a lot of extra stuff. 
• I've acquired a lot of my stuff through other ASG members purging their sewing rooms, so I've gotten things like zippers, buttons, and fabrics at very low prices or sometimes even free.
• Our chapter built a relationship with a couple of sewing factories several years ago, so I got bunches of stuff from them as well. That's where a lot of the buttons came from for my Holiday Giveaway. Sadly, those resources are mostly gone now since production has moved to Asia.
• Other people know I sew and they give me things. For example, my sister bought a large ziploc baggie of vintage buttons when she was travelling in Kentucky that I later got as a Christmas gift. Great present!!
• I also recycle interesting buttons from old garments. I'm talking about you, J. Jill!
• Shows. I've been to a few ASG Conferences, and Albuquerque has its Fiber Arts Fiesta every other year. Both have had vendor booths with unusual things, so interesting buttons, trims, and notions always find their way home with me.

Does it help or speed along the sewing process?  Or does it hinder the process?

Like so much in sewing, the answer is "Sometimes." I have some great buttons and trims stashed--many of them are "go to" whenever I need something of that style. Others I haven't used yet but they'll be there for the right project.

On the other hand, sometimes I don't have exactly what I want--I've run into that problem several times lately. For instance, both of the Marcy Tilton jackets I made this month, and the Now Shirt I made in December. Obviously I need to stock up on matte black buttons! However, going shopping is no guarantee that I'll find what I want. And I'm not a bargain shopper, but have you priced buttons lately? Even I pause when I see a single (plastic) button priced at over $4!

I may be delusional but I do think a lot of the "other" stash will get used. I regularly pull items out when planning a project, so I do generally know what I have on hand. Eventually, those great items will make the cut, and provide just the right accent for a project.

I also gift supplies to other sewists and provide stuff for ASG door prizes and such. After all, how much faux suede fringe does one person need, even in New Mexico? It's fun to see what happens after those things have gone to somebody else.

Lagniappe

I used to hear this word all the time back when I lived in Mobile, Alabama. It meant "a little something extra", a little surprise gift.

Well, this pincushion is my lagniappe from the second Vogue 8676 jacket.

I had several little scraps of the wool jersey on the table, as well as my pinking rotary cutter and acrylic ruler, and I started thinking of those felted wool pincushions that I've seen amongst fiber people at sewing workshops. The wool is supposed to be good for the needles and pins.

Hmm, even if the fabric didn't mat when washed, it's still wool, and the scraps are small and going into the wastebasket anyway, and...

The next thing I knew, I had cut several strips that I began tightly rolling together. A few stitches later to secure the end of the last strip, and I had a pincushion. A nice, but very plain pincushion. Then I remembered that I had some "cell phone charms" that I'd bought at Rami Kim's workshop a few years ago. I threaded the loop onto a large darning needle, inserted it into the center of the roll, and secured the loop with a few more stitches on the bottom side. Of course, I could have rolled the end of the charm into the pincushion when I started the project, but I had to insert it later since I was improvising.

Before the Header...

DH and I were taking pictures of ourselves for the BMW Owners Club in front of the house. He thought it would be a good idea to share a photo of ourselves before I tripped all over myself. Of course you'll understand why I'm not posting an after picture!

Just to be clear, DH drives the white roadster and motorcycle. The graphite sedan is mine.

JAM 2: Vogue 8676, Sort of View A

Front

Back

This is the second time I've used this pattern, a modified version of View A for this version. The fabric I used was a double faced merino wool jersey that I bought from Fabric Mart a couple of years ago. Nice stuff, buy it if they still sell it! This piece has been washed and although it generated a ton of fluff in the dryer, there was very little fulling. I'd been searching for the right pattern for this fabric for a while because I wanted to take advantage of contrasting colors of both sides.

Marcy Tilton's notes on the pattern guide sheet recommended using the plain (View B) collar if the fabric doesn't roll when cut. The jersey I used has very little roll, so I took her suggestion. I also changed the sleeve and cuff to View B because I had a short cut (the pattern calls for 2 fabrics for View A), and I was afraid I wouldn't have enough to cut all the little strips cross grain as directed. I also substituted buttons for the fabric "buttons" of the pattern--just a little too-too for me.

Threads published a tutorial by Kenneth King  on its website last week which was very timely, since he discussed using a rotary cutter with a pinking blade to finish exposed seams on a sweater knit. I decided to do the same thing on this jacket, as you'll see in the detail shots below:

 Sleeve and cuff--per the pattern instructions, the cuff's lower edge was cut on the selvedge, then joined to the sleeve by lapping the raw edges. I reversed the cuff to show the contrasting black side.

Collar and shoulder seam--per the pattern instructions, the collar has raw edges and was attached to the jacket with a lapped seam. I added the pinked edges. I changed the sewing of the shoulder seam to show the black, pinked reverse of the fabric.

One of the most striking features of this view is the use of circular motifs, a perfect way to take advantage of the fabric. They were sewn to the jacket by edgestitching the raw edges of the motifs. The accent lines are raw edged cross grain strips that I pinked before sewing down.

Pocket detail

Back detail

Both jackets were really fun to make due to the unusual sewing techniques used. The jacket itself is a fairly basic shape that's flattering to wear, so I'll hang onto this pattern. It will be easy to modify further--maybe next time, I'll make it with traditional sewing techniques!

Owww

I had plans to pose for pictures in the Marcy Tilton jackets today, but umm, change of plans. DH and I were using the tripod to take a self portrait with our cars (long story), and when we were done, I somehow tripped and took a face plant onto the pavement! I have scrapes on my nose, cheekbone, forehead and hands. Thankfully, no serious damage!!

Needless to say, I'd rather heal up a little! So I'll take some pictures of the new coat on Ms. Acme over the weekend. It came out really cute.

JAM 1, Vogue 8676, View B--Complete!

 

I put the finishing touches on this jacket today, so I thought I'd share some quick photos. Rest assured, I'll be modeling it in a future blog post so you can see what it looks like on a person. However, it turned darn cold here in New Mexico overnight, so I was in no mood for modeling today. 

If I do say so myself, I did an awesome job of pattern matching across the front. You can barely see the center opening. The pattern called for functioning buttons and buttonholes, but I didn't want to take that on, especially with a bulky collar right above the first one. Which is not to say you can't sew buttonholes in fleece--I've done it before, just chose not to this time. So there are large snaps underneath the buttons. I also added a fourth closure to the front. The pattern only specifies 3, with the last one hitting at waist level. Really? That doesn't make much sense to me. 

Like most of Marcy Tilton's designs, this one features some atypical sewing techniques. For example, the cuffs feature the raw selvedges of the fabric. The sleeve overlaps a portion of the cuff piece, then both sides of the overlap are edgestitched together.

 

The pattern instructions specify a raw edge for the sleeve edge.  I don't particularly like the raw edges of fleece, so I finished it off with 3 thread serging. 

I also used 3 thread serging to finish off the collar. The instructions tell you to spray baste the 2 collar pieces together, then stitch 1/2" from the edges all the way around. Again, I don't like those raw fleece edges.

 

 

Once the collar is assembled, its edges are lapped over the neck seam, then you sew a line of stitching 1/2" from the lower collar edge. 

Even though it's another black garment, I agree with sdBev-JoplinJacket, who commented:

 

grey and black are the colors we use when projecting sophistication or a certain sexy something. Enjoy your greys. They can say more about you. 

It does look sophisticated, and even kind of cheerful with the art nouveau poppies.

I did enjoy making this pattern, enough that I pulled out another piece of the double faced wool jersey that I used for these projects last winter. The piece I'll use for that version is turquoise aqua and black.

Vogue 8676, View B, Marcy Tilton Jacket

I finally got started on my first jacket for the Jacket a Month Sewalong on Stitcher's Guild.  I'm working on View B, which is the one without the circular motifs.

As it happened, I had a piece of polar fleece that I've been saving for quite a while (2003!), and it's perfect for the pattern. It's a floral, like on the pattern envelope, but neutral colors of black, gray and cream. It seems like I'm sewing and wearing a lot from that color palette lately--probably reflects my mood these days. Hmm.

Like many of Marcy's patterns, the sewing techniques are "different"--lapped seams, raw edges and exposed selvedges. While remaining true to the spirit of the jacket, I've finished it off a little bit more than she specifies, basically because I don't think raw edges on fleece are all that attractive. However, the jacket is easy sewing. Between last night and a little time this morning, it's almost done.

Santa Fe Shopping

I did quite of bit of shopping while in Santa Fe. I found out about a boutique that was closing by year end, so decided to check it out since it was in Plaza Mercado off the Plaza.  I wore this skirt to dinner on Christmas night with a royal blue cashmere pullover and black cowboy boots:

The next 2 pictures are a black and silver metallic knit cardigan, accented with silver and gold nailheads and knotted knit cords. The cardigan closed with a fancy gold, silver and rhinestone kilt pin (not photographed). I wore this sweater New Year's Eve with a black mock neck shell from Coldwater Creek, shown in the above photo and under the cardigan in the photos below:

 Front

Back

I haven't worn these two yet, but the black skirt will be going to Puerto Rico with me:

This top reminded me a little of the Sewing Workshop's Liberty Shirt:

This last item came from a little shop, Passementerie, located right outside the hotel:

The set can be worn as a bolo (shown) or belt. In addition, the flower and neckpiece can be worn separately. The pieces are made of silk and have lots of little details such as beads and yoyos. I got a second set for my sister in law, who admired it when she visited in October.

Carole asked if I could post some more pictures of Santa Fe, but unfortunately, all the shots of the Christmas lights turned out all blurry, and I often forget about tourist photos. I'll try again next trip! I loved your reminicense about LaFonda--I'm guessing the dances were in the central courtyard, which was changed into an atrium and is now LaPlazuela restaurant.

Loes Hinse Cowl Tops: Last Garment of 2010 and First Garment of 2011

I talked about this pattern the other day and got around to a quick photo shoot this morning. Really quick, because my camera really needed immediate recharging!

I made the blue one per View A out of a beefy rayon blend knit from the late Lucy's Fabrics. I think Gorgeous Fabrics may have something similar. Nice weight, and cosy to wear.

I made the olive green one on New Year's Day. It's View A without the cowl. The fabric is a acrylic/cotton knit blend I got several years ago from Fashion Fabrics Club. The fabric is 2 layers--the face layer has a sweatery feel and is knitted to the back layer in a diamond pattern, forming the quilted texture. I omitted the cowl, feeling that it would be too many thick layers at the neck.

I lengthened both tunics by 2"; when I made this pattern last year, I felt like the length was just a skoash too short when worn with skinny pants. The extra length also allows me to add a belt if I want to.

At Last, Holiday Giveaway 4 Concludes

We have a winner, and it's ... Joyce in NC! I ran the entries through Random.org and to my surprise (and yours I'm sure), your number came up! I guess it's true what they say, "you can't win if you don't enter."

I already have your address from before, so I'll be sending your package of Threads magazines and buttons today or tomorrow.

A big Thank You to everybody who participated in the Holiday Giveaway project. It was fun for me; I hope it was for you, too. I'm glad I could de-stash even a little, and get those sewing items back into circulation. Please share if you make something from your prizes. I'd love to see what you made, and I think other SewWest readers would enjoy it too.

Welcome 2011!

I had not intended to disappear this week, but DH has been on vacation, and well, you know how that goes...I did do some sewing, one project successful and one more of a learning experience.

The successful one was a tunic from Loes Hinse's Cowl Top pattern. I've made this one before, and it's a great top to wear with skinny legged pants. This time I used some beefy rayon knit from Lucy's--too bad she's not selling fabric anymore because this is nice stuff. I'm planning on making another Cowl Top this weekend from an olive knit I unearthed the other day.

The other project was from my TNT T shirt pattern, Kwik Sew 2565. I had updated my copy of it last fall and wanted to make it up to test the fit. And the good news is, the new version fits and needs only a couple of minor tweaks. The bad news is, no wearable muslin this round. I'm not sure exactly what happened but the actual sewing was a nightmare and not something I'd want to be seen in so I trashed it. I think I'll take my serger in for a much needed tuneup before I attempt it again.

I made minor progress towards deciding what I want to sew for our upcoming trip to Puerto Rico. I pulled a couple of prints that'll go well with items already in my closet for kind of a mini capsule. More on that later.

I'm not planning any major resolutions for 2011, but I do have a theme that arose from a response to a Facebook question: More Doing, Less Planning. I do have a tendency to have analysis paralysis from time to time, so my desire is to break through that by moving forward even if I haven't fully developed the idea. Maybe this will get more projects out of my head and onto my body. Anyway, that's what I'm going with.

I hope your new year is starting out well, and don't forget to enter the last of the giveaways. Tomorrow's the last day to sign up and I'll draw on Monday.