Simplicity 4097 in the Fall of the Year

Combine 2.5 m of beautiful wool-blend Prince of Wales suiting and Simplicity 4097 and what do you get? The perfect fall jumper!

016I’ve always wanted a jumper, something easy that I can just pull on over top of leggings and a blouse (or a full set of long johns, lol!)

026It isn’t the most flattering outfit, I suppose, but I don’t care. Since when have I ever been a walking fashion statement, anyway?  Three people have already complimented me on it, and one (a total stranger!) said, “you must have made that because I haven’t seen a proper jumper in years. I’m going to pull out my sewing machine and make one for me, too!” I hope she does!

028This jumper pleases my little hippy heart and it’s both physically and emotionally comfortable. Since I’ve gained a bunch of that dratted weight back, I find that it’s harder than ever to find something to wear that I feel comfortable in. And not just physically, but emotionally. Because when you’re insecure about your body, being emotionally comfortable in your clothes is very important to how happy you are in your skin. Believe me when I say this is a struggle for me. My middle-aged body is…well…middle aged.

051Since my goal is to someday become an accomplished sewer-of-my-own-wardrobe, I’ve been trying to challenge myself with each new project. This time it was fitting the back bodice and matching the plaid. Actually, pattern matching went so well that I forgot to take a picture of it, lol! Trust me, it’s pretty darn close to perfect. 🙂

055The bodice is lined as per the pattern instructions, but they didn’t specify what to use for lining. So I used the same wool since I had enough. I also cut the bodice and the pockets on the bias. It was a bit tricky, as this cloth really stretched on the bias. But knowing that, I was extra careful which resulted in no problems at all. Yay!

049I’m also learning about fitting a pattern to my own body. My shoulders and upper back are narrow and my waist is wide. In fact, my shoulders are two sizes smaller than my waist, which requires some pattern adjustments.

I cut the back bodice an entire size smaller than the front bodice, and it was still too big. It might be time to learn how to do a sway-back adjustment.

013Since the bodice was already finished and lined, there wasn’t much I could do about the back. My solution? A box pleat and a vintage covered button to take in the excess across the mid-back.

059Was the box pleat a professional way to fix the problem? No, and thank goodness for long hair, which covers up some bits of messiness that I’d rather you didn’t see. However, you have to admit, the button adds a bit of charm. I adore buttons. There is a button on every piece of clothing I’ve sewn so far, whether one was required or not.

042Because it’s such beautiful fabric, I wanted it to be especially nicely finished on the inside. So I zigzagged every seam and then pinked them. I’m not going to show you any pictures because there are so many that are much more interesting than a bunch of pinked seams, lol!

044So, are you wondering what my fabulous fall jumper cost to make? I’ll give you a hint: everything came from the thrift store. Fabric & pattern: (insert drum roll……) $3.25.
047Thanks to my wonderful Creative Mr.C for taking the pictures at McGuire Lake park in downtown Salmon Arm.  This is what November looks like where I live now.  Love it!

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A Vogue-Moneta hack

Do you remember the Vogue wrap dress I made last year? No? Hahaha, I don’t blame you. That dress never really worked for me. The waist sat too high, meaning I was forever tugging it down. And the bodice had these odd little tucks …NOT flattering.

So rather than keeping a dress that I was never going to wear, I decided to cut it up and make it into something else.

I cut the skirt off. Yup…hacked it right off with scissors. Then I cut the bodice apart along the seams. No seam picking for me, nope! Scissors all the way.

I got out my Moneta pattern, and took stock. The two cross-over pieces became sleeves. The ties became a collar. 004I had enough fabric for the bodice front, but not enough for the back, as you can see in this picture:

002That’s where my quilting brain started working. The back of the bodice is done in patchwork!

This is what was left over:005Voila!003All that’s left is the hem and I’ll have a dress I’ll actually wear.

Oh, and yes…these pics were taken last summer.

Have you ever turned one dress into another?

a Moneta Pas de Deux (a bit of Moneta Madness under the Midnight Sun)

So you thought I was just sitting around smelling the fresh air for the last two months in the Yukon, eh?

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Actually, my friend Dee and I had a sewing date and we made matching Moneta dresses: a Moneta Pas de Deux!

017Dee came out to the cabin for a weekend and we sewed. It was a lot of fun. I’d brought my sewing machine up the highway with me, and we plugged it into the solar battery system.

018Dee brought this fabulous salmon & teal roses fabric to sew her dress. My eyes turned instant jealousy green as soon as I saw it. And then, O happy day! there was enough left over for me to piece a dress, too!

021I think I was a little rude about it, actually…I just sort of said, “I’ll take that!” when we saw how much was left over…

011I had to piece the back skirt piece, which is just fine. Nobody would ever know that it isn’t supposed to have a back seam.

012I graded the bodice pattern for both Moneta dresses that I’ve sewn from the L at the shoulders up to the XL at the waist, but the dress is still too big across the top of the shoulder. So I’m going to grade the bodice pattern on the next one…the M for the shoulders, grading up to the XL at the waist.

013the neck isn’t really as bad as it looks in this picture. I’m standing wonky or something. The neck doesn’t actually slip down quite that far when I’m wearing it around.  On the plus side…Pockets!

007Cheers to Dee for doing such a great job on her first time ever sewing stretchy, slippery, slithery ITY fabric!

bonesAnd since Dee and I live 1700 miles apart, we don’t have to worry about being caught in the same outfit, lol!

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dee

Love ya, girl.

My first Colette Monetta

Here you thought I wasn’t sewing anything during April. Silly you!

003I’ve been seeing this dress all over the internet and finally decided it was time for me to make one. This is the Monetta dress from Colette Patterns, and INDY designer.

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I have a lot to learn about sewing stretchy knits. I think this crazy striped fabric is called ITY (interlock twist yarn.) I’m still learning what the different types of knit are and what they look like.  The fabric is really stretchy. It drapes beautifully and is Very Comfortable to wear…like wearing pajamas except its a dress, lol! But not the easiest thing to sew…slippery and I couldn’t press a crease into it, so it was hard to make a nice hem.

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I sewed it on my domestic machine (I don’t have a serger, though would dearly love one!) and used my walking foot and a ball point needle. Oh, and I also used a twin needle for the first time.

I don’t know what I did, but I stretched the neck out somehow. It comes dangerously close to falling off my shoulders, though it hasn’t yet. I hope it survives the washing machine.  I’ll be more careful with the neck next time.  And I couldnt find clear elastic so used regular elastic instead. I liked how the skirt is gathered directly onto the elastic. It was so easy to do! The hard part was sewing the gathered bit into the bodice – I caught a bit of the skirt up into the seam here and there, making puckers (not too noticeable). BUT… The regular elastic is stiff compared to the clear stuff, so there is a hard ridge that IS noticeable, which is why I’m wearing a belt. 

Oh, and I put a button on the front for decoration (not really…it’s so I’ll know which is the front when putting it on!)

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And this dress has pockets! …though I’m not happy with the job I did on them. They kind of stick out a bit. And really, I prefer not to have pockets in a dress, so I won’t put them into the next one. This is version 2 of the pattern. It’s a great pattern, I recommend it. Three sleeve options, lined or unlined bodice, collar or no collar (and you can download a booklet containing a big handful of different collars to use when you pay for the pattern – bonus!) I’ll make the next one with the lined bodice version and a collar.

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Next one? You bet! My friend Dee and I will be having a Monetta day together later this month! You can be sure to see the fashion show right here!

K is for Knitting (really, what else could it be for?)

 Melissa Peda took this picture of a flower in her garden and posted it on her blog (100BillionStars) the other day. (She has a lovely blog, by the way. You should check it out! I am inspired every single time I visit it.)

  

I Love This Colour! I used to have a sweater in this same shade of periwinkle blue and I loved it to death. Literally wore it out. 

So when I saw this photo, a lightbulb went on and I said to myself, “Nita, you should find yarn in that colour and knit yourself something!”

Like maybe Waterlily by Meghan Fernande:

  

Or the February Fitted Pullover by Any Herzog:

  

You know, I haven’t actually set out to knit a just for me item in…decades. 

I knit gifts for other people … Scarves, slippers, socks, baby things. The last thing I knit for myself was a sweater way back about 1990. 

Well, okay, maybe that’s not entirely true. I think I’ve got a pair of slippers in a drawer somewhere. And I wore a me-made lace knit scarf all winter (…actually, I made it for my mom, but wasn’t happy with it. So I kept the substandard item for myself and knit a better one for her. Have you ever done that?) 

So I think it’s time I knit something luscious just for me. 

On purpose. 

Something in periwinkle blue. 

This yarn,maybe?

  

The search for the perfect colour is on!

 

  I’m participating in the Blogging From A-Z challenge.  One blog post for each letter of the alphabet, each day of April (except Sunday). 


 

Another Vintage New Look 6510: are you kidding me?

Well, what can I say?

007It was Valentine’s Day and for the very first time I was going to a Big Band dance as a general audience member and not as the bari player! A gal needs a new dress for such a monumental occasion, don’t you agree? I mean…I held down the bottom end for what…17+ years… and never heard ’em out front! Not once! Calls for a new dress, don’t ‘cha think?

003And reason #2 (as if I need a reason #2 to sew a dress): the Big Band is in Whitehorse, duh! Which meant that I was going home back to my beloved Yukon for a whole week! In February! Whoot whoot!

Valentines Day 2015I had a fabulous time! My in-laws were there. My sisters-in-law & brother-in-law was there, my niece was there. My number-one-son was there. My girlfriends were there!

006Yes, these photos are taken on the deck of our little cabin in the woods at Fox Lake. In the Yukon! On a very balmy day, I might add! Excuse the wrinkles…suitcase, you know. And while I do have an antique iron at the cabin and can heat it up on the wood stove, I don’t have an ironing board there anymore. (note to Whitehorse friends…if you see a cheep ironing board at the Sally Ann, grab for me!)

014Why yet another version of the vintage New Look 6510 shift dress? Because I only decided to sew the dress the day my flight left. Yup! You read that right. I woke up in the morning and said to myself, “Nita, you have 3 hours. You should sew a Valentine’s Day dress.” And of course the only dress I have ever sewn is this one, and I knew I could do it fast.

013I didn’t have enough fabric to cut the dress as one piece. So I split it at the “adjust length here” line. In retrospect, that was the wrong place. I should have split it at the natural waist. Because when I wear a belt, it sits up on the bottom of my ribcage. Not the most comfortable spot to wear a belt…

008And because I am Thrifty Retirement Girl (♫ insert super-heroine music ♫)… guess what? The dress .25. YES!!! I made this dress for twenty-five cents. Out of three pillowcases. Yes, pillowcases. From the thrift store. Ha Ha!

004Gotcha!

(this post is dedicated to my friend Cynde who just can’t get over it, lol!)