Simple Project, Simplicity 3569 (oop)

Time for a new, simple pattern--a knit friendly nightgown. 2 main pieces and 2 facing pieces.

The fabric is a cotton knit that came from Hancock's or JoAnn's, I'm not sure which one.  I just remember seeing it and thinking it would be perfect for something like this.

It was easy to make, too.  Although I included the facings due to the V-neck, I changed the instructions a bit and topstitched the edge down to eliminate the potential of the facings flopping around. I worked on this for a small amount of time after returning from the mini sewing tour, and it was ready to wear to bed that night.

I cut a 10 through the neck and shoulders and a 14 for the sides.  The shoulders and facings were sewn with a regular machine using 5/8" seams. I made narrow 1/4" side seams, using my serger.   The finished length was dowdy on me, so I cut 8" off the lower edge before hemming with a 1/2" machine stitched hem. Now it's a little above my knees.

I'll definitely make this again, and I've already selected a couple other stash knits to use. This nightgown is so comfortable, but a step up from sleeping in a T-shirt.

TSW Zen Shirt, Version Two

Even with last weekend's shopping trip, I got some sewing in. I made an easy nightgown that I'll post soon. It was a really fast sew, so I also got started on the TSW Zen Shirt (the shirt on the left, below) that I had cut out a while back.

I've made this shirt before, but I used more basic techniques since that version was basically a prototype. Somehow, I never posted the finished version of this shirt, so here it is:

It looks fine and I've worn it plenty of times, but I decided to use dressmaker techniques this time around and take some some time with the garment instead of whipping through construction. 

I'm using a really lovely shirting that I found in the JoAnn's clearance area some years back. White threads in the warp and blue in the weft, and it has a silky feel although it's cotton.  I had originally planned to make this garment with the print collars I ended up using on the fuchsia Liberty Shirt, so this project was on the back burner for a while. As of now, I'm planning to make the entire garment from the blue shirting. Kind of plain, but every wardrobe needs its share of quiet clothes too.

The guide sheet calls for French seams throughout. That takes a little more time, but I was able to attach the sleeves and sew the first pass of both side seams in a few hours last Sunday. This Saturday, I got quite a bit more done--sides, sleeves, hems, and placket are sewn. The next step is making buttonholes, which have to be done before attaching the collars.  Perhaps I'll have time for more work on the new shirt before the weekend's over, but it's ok if I don't. This is a no rush garment!

Mini Sewing Tour

Back in the day, the Albuquerque ASG chapter put together sewing tours of the area by bus. There was usually a fee that included bus rental, lunch, and treats. We mostly went to sewing stores in the Albuquerque and Santa Fe area, although the agenda could include cultural offerings such as the Santa Fe Opera (including the costume and prop shops) and the International Museum of Folk Art. Typically, lunch was included, and a good time was had by all.

We recently tried unsuccessfully to organize another "official" trip that fell through.  So some of us decided to organize a mini tour by car. We had two stops--Bernie's Fabrics in Belen and Silverado in town, then we ended up with lunch at the Grove in EDO (East of Downtown, hilarious that Albuquerque is now experimenting with Manhattan naming conventions!).

Bernie's was our first stop after meeting at our organizer's home. This is a new-to-me store located south of Albuquerque in the town of Belen in Valencia County. It was chock full of fabric--mostly quilting cottons, but a handful of other things.

It was a bit of a treasure hunt and you had to dig a bit, but I found some nice pieces--a vintage looking Western print, a pretty batik, and a tone on tone seersucker. 

Our next stop was a visit to Silverado, which is a manufacturer of soft furnishings (pillows, bed ensembles, and tabletop items) located in a former Datsun dealership. We have visited Silverado many times over the years as the business has morphed from women's boutique clothing to its current speciality, but at least it's still around. The owner, Silvia, told us that she currently has two main markets--the lodging industry and home decor catalogs. As you might guess, Silverado's look is Western-oriented, but with a luxury twist. 

They have been using home dec fabrics for years, even when making women's clothes, and Silvia opened up the warehouse to sell us some of her fabrics from past collections. I bought one piece there, which I bought for a future jacket.

Now I need to get sewing with all this new fabric! The weather is getting warmer and that means new things to wear.

No Sewing This Weekend, But a Haul

This weekend was the Material Girls meetup, but it was sort of a bust due to the switch to Daylight Savings Time. We get together at Ann Silva's Bernina, but the person who works at the store and lets us in didn't appear. I had brought some giveaways and so did a couple of other ladies, so we did a swap meet from our vehicles.

That ended up well! I got an almost full bolt of rayon challis (yes, it's bright but it's pretty and has a great hand),

a yard or so of Guatemalan ikat,

some wooly plaid mystery fabric (cat blankets if nothing else),

and a couple of pieces of Space Alien cotton from Roswell, NM.

I also picked up a couple of patterns--a vintage Calvin Klein Vogue and a Butterick Connie Crawford T-shirt.

We adjourned after it became clear that no one would be letting us in, and I headed over to TJ Maxx. I discovered that they are remodeling--the new fixtures are quite nice, I must say. Several items jumped into my cart and came home with me.  Some shoes

There were also a couple of tops and some lingerie, none of which have been tried on yet. The temporary dressing room was small and I didn't feel like waiting in line. Once I'm tried them on, I'll decide if I want to keep them or take them back. So, no pictures of any of that.