Sunday, February 23, 2014

TSW Liberty Shirt with Zen Collars



I finished up the shirt today! There were a few issues along the way but the end result was worth it.


A close up of the Zen double collars. Each has one side of the print and the other of the faux linen. I went simple with the buttons, which I was fortunate enough to find in a perfect match.


Sleeve are faced with more of the cotton accent fabric.

This version is the third one from this pattern. None of them use the original collar, for some reason. I think I'm going to give this pattern a rest for now, although a sleeveless version might happen this summer.

Monday, February 17, 2014

Liberty Shirt with Zen Collars, In Process

I'm working on another TSW Liberty Shirt, this time (mostly) in a solid color. I had cut out a couple of collars for a TSW Zen Shirt and decided that I didn't like the accent fabric with the blue shirting I chose for the body of the shirt. I mean, hot pink and pale blue? What was I thinking?


So I set my accent collars aside, and then Martha posted her Liberty with a Zen double collar. Aha! What a genius idea. So off to the interwebs to look for a coordinating color, and I actually had a couple of candidates, when I found myself near JoAnn's. Yep, JoAnn's. Rayon poly faux linen in a great fuchsia color, and it was even on sale.



Better! The print is a little remnant of Kaffe Fassett cotton I found at Common Thread in Taos on my last trip up there. I've been trying to figure out what to do with it for awhile since it's a only a scant yard.

Here's where I am so far:


I still have the sleeves and closures left. The sleeve openings will be faced with more of the cotton print. This is the first version of this shirt that I've made out of something other than cotton and so far, I'm liking the drape of the faux linen.



Saturday, February 1, 2014

More TNT Kwik Sew 2565 Tees

January was a blur of a month, with lots to do at work following the holiday season. I have a new manager, and probably another one after the former manager's position is filled. In addition, two members of my team were transferred to another client. Eventually they'll be replaced, but for now it's busy.

Fortunately, we haven't had the terrible frigid and snowy weather that everyone back east is experiencing, but we really do need some snow or else it will be quite a drought in the summer.

While I haven't been posting, I've been doing some sewing and wardrobe building. I made three new versions of my old favorite Kwik Sew 2565, which you've all seen many times before. And I used some stash fabrics too! 

First up is a faux ikat poly knit from JoAnn's:


Next was this rayon devore from Casual Elegance:


And last, a lacy poly knit from Hancock's:


Each tee had its challenges. The faux ikat is a 4 way stretch, so I cut the neck band along the lengthwise grain for a more interesting look. As a result the band was not quite as stretchy and it buckles around that front curve. Not too noticeable when it's on, but you know how picky we sewists are!

The rayon devore is a beautiful fabric that pictures do not do justice. It has curvy areas of sheerness, color variations, print, and glitter! Again, band issues because the printed design sits on the surface of the fabric and so does the glitter, meaning the stretch is not consistent across the fabric. So, I had a real struggle getting that band installed. It looks fine but in restrospect, fold over elastic might have been a better choice.

The lace knit's challenge was layout, not sewing. It was difficult to line up the fabric and keep it aligned while placing and cutting the pattern pieces. But once cut out, it was super easy to sew.

The devore and lace knit are both pretty sheer but I decided not to line them. I have some thin knit camisoles that I'll wear beneath. I put a black cami under both in the photos and you can barely tell it's there.

I have two more projects cut out and ready to start--an easy one and a more precise one. The easy one is a knit nightgown basically two pieces. I also have a TSW Zen shirt from some very nice blue shirting that I had on hand.