2011 - Sewn projects

Due to the training course I took this year, I felt my sewing productivity had been a lot lower than in previous years. Though when I actually went over the blog and looked at what I've sewn, I was surprised how much I have achieved.

• Fitted knit jacket - McCalls 5242 - the pattern is designed for wovens only. This was an experiment that seems to have worked well. I'd like to make more knit jackets when I have funds to get fabric for them. This version has a few flaws, chiefly the closure which isn't really satisfactory. But This just means I know what to avoid next time.


• Pajamas - 4 Pairs consisting of a McCalls Legging pattern and TNT BWOF top pattern. Not much I can say about PJ's. They do what they say on the tin as the advert says. Nice and warm. Comfortable.


• Brown wool Trousers - Marfy 1666 - I do like this pattern and plan another pair for the 2012 SWAP.


• Tweed Skirt and black skirt- BWOF 08/06 No. 103. I've become very fond of this pattern as its just wide enough, with the flare at the back, to allow for my long stride without fear of the dreaded ripping noise, yet still svelte enough to look good for work.


• Grey knit skirt - Vogue 9959. Another test run as this pattern was also designed for wovens. However, it worked well and I've worn it lots even though I didn't think I would.


• Black/white/red plaid skirt - Vogue 9959. Another skirt I didn't think I'd wear all that much as I don't wear much in the way of large prints/plaids. However, its been a very useful item and much worn over the winter as it works fabulously with warm, thick tights and sweaters.


• Navy spotted short sleeve top - BWOF 10/06 No. 104


• Navy linen full skirt - BWOF 04/07


• Turquoise cotton jacket - Marfy 1625


• Red Bamboo jersey tee x 2 - Textile Studio Santa Monica Tee


• Pink child's dress - Butterick 5717


• Black Poly jacket - BWOF 08/06 No. 108. This was a wadder but I got it all the way to the home straight so I'm counting it here because I did spend quite a while on it.


• Black Poly trousers x 2, one pair with, one pair without, front slant pockets. These were made from my TNT Basic trouser pattern and have been the most worn item I've made this year I think. I must wear one or the other of them at least once a week. They are fabulous. Still look like new despite repeated laundering. Wash in the machine, shake once, hang up. Done. No creases at all.

That's not a bad number of items actually. I don't feel like I've sewn much this year. Perhaps that's just because I don't feel I've sewn as much as I WANTED to sew. Which is, of course, a whole other issue.

Sewing challenges for 2012 include:

• Working with boiled wool - I have begun this challenge already with the two jackets for SWAP. One should be ready to be posted in the next few days... I only have the trim to sew on.


• Techniques for unlined jackets


• Using knits for fitted jackets


• Perfecting my cover stitch skills which remain woeful.


• Fitting a dress so that I am happy with it and actually wearing it.


• Make six jackets this year. (Possibly a rather ambitious target, though I do have enough fabric in stash to make it happen).


• Sewing from stash as much as is possible. It would be unrealistic to say I won't buy fabric (or yarn) at all because its the thing I do when I need to be cheered up, (and I often feel the need to be cheered up during working hours). Fabric and yarn are my main luxury purchase, and a pattern is bound to materialise that I MUST make and I will inevitably have no suitable stash fabric. However, I plan to keep my purchasing to a sensible level and buy only what is needed.

2011 - Knitted Projects completed

Every year I plan to put this sort of post onto the blog, and every year, I fail to gather together the requisite information, or forget about doing the post until its too late.

First up, the knitting. Eleven socks in 2011, shown in the composite photo above. Not the most artistically arranged composite it has to be said, but I find the drawing programme on my current programme exceptionally difficult to use.

In addition to the socks, this year I have completed the following knitted projects.

Black cashmere cardigan

Purple and black long cardigan

Navy and burgundy long cardigan

Aran Cardigan in natural cream colour

Purple Elphaba Sweater

Baby blanket

Preemie baby clothes (two hats, one pair of socks, one pair of mittens)

Mystery shawl knitalong

Dark Forest Shawl

Wings of a Starling shawl

Fruits of the Sea Shawl

Natural Aran headband

I hadn't realised until I came to list them all, just how much knitting I've done this year. New knitting related skills learned in 2011:

• holding two yarns together to knit without getting into a tangled mess.


• Adjusting a pattern for different gauge.


• Contiguous method knitting. My new absolute favourite method.


• Toe up socks.


• Placing beads into knitting using the dental floss method


• Spit Splicing.

In 2012 I want to learn how to do colourwork knitting and plan to make an aran cardigan with a two colour yoke to start with. This project will also allow me to try Steeking for the first time. Steeking, for those that don't know, involves cutting up the knitting you have just spent weeks working on. I also want to perfect my short row techniques, and challenge myself to make at least six shawlettes over the year. Finally, I want to learn to make two socks at once using a long circular. RuthieK got me a fabulous book that tells me how to do this. Thanks Ruthie. I am looking forward to trying this technique.

Plans for 2012 knitted items include:

• colourblocked and striped sweaters. Self designed and probably contiguous.


• Shawlettes/neckerchief size shawls. These are rapidly becoming my "go to" accessory for adding a pop of colour to my outfits and I have a long list of patterns to try, several yarns in stash, and more yarns coming my way, as part of the Posh Yarn Club membership which I was bought for Christmas.


• Socks. Various patterns.


• Cashmere sweater - Contiguous and self designed


• Aran Cardigan - Zephyr by Tori Gurbisz


• Aran Sweater - By George by Julia Duren

With the exception of the last two items, I have the yarn in stash. I will almost certainly get yarn for "Zephyr" and "By George" but apart from those two exceptions, have made a resolution to try very hard not to buy any more yarn this year. However, this resolution was sorely tried today. I took mum to Baa Ram Ewe in Leeds to spend her gift voucher and almost came home with a skein of Malabrigo sock yarn for myself. But I was good, and I didn't.

Mmmm, Cashmere

The Cashmere cardigan is finished at last and I'm very pleased with it. The yarn is Colourmart Pure cashmere fingering weight and I got 300g of it, which is two cones. It didn't seem like it would be enough but I've actually got 125g left. If I am careful, and eke this out with some lace weight held triple (which is the same yarn as the fingering except the fingering was twisted up triple when I got it), I should have enough yarn for a sweater to go under the cardigan.

I washed the skeins this time before I knit the garment and this worked better. I didn't calculate the shrinkage on the Romy cardigan correctly and it came out a bit short when washed. This was much better. Less room for errors.

I didn't exactly work from a pattern. I loosely based this on some of the details in the Revival Pattern by Fallmasche (available on Ravelry) but worked reasonably far off pattern. Revival is a double knit sweater which this clearly isn't. Its another contiguous method garment and I love the way this is totally seamless and can be tried on as I go along.

The yarn was so soft that the button bands, no matter how hard I tried, came out very wobbly and weren't fit to be seen. I've sewn them back to the inside of the cardigan and attached crochet loops to close the cardigan. The buttons are a set of vintage, toning ones from Duttons. They are quite sparkly and really lift the cardigan and make it look a bit more exciting. No button is the same but they all work really well together.

I'm looking forward to wearing this when I go back to work. I'm sure its going to be really, really warm

In other news, SWAP started over on Stitchers Guild today. I've started my first garment, a boiled wool jacket in navy blue. I had it all cut out ready to go and started sewing this morning. I've got the whole of the jacket body sewn and the sleeves are in. I've some more finishing to do on the inside, the collar to attach, buttons, button holes, shoulder pads and then need to find/decide on some trim for round the edge and on the cuffs. Hopefully I will get the jacket as far as the trim stage tomorrow and if I have any spare time after that, will probably start sewing the cream wool jersey overdress, since that is cut out already and I have the trim for that.

Headband/Ear Warmer

This project was completed in two days. The yarn is left over from the Romy Cardigan, and is a Colourmart cashmerino aran in colourway Dust. The pattern is DROPS 126-24, a free pattern designed for their Nepal yarn, and it knitted up pretty much to gauge in my left over yarn.

Its maybe not the most exciting colour for a headband, but was what I had on hand when I got the urge to cast on.

I don't get on hugely well with hats. My ponytail tends to cause problems and they don't stay on properly. I figured these headbands, which allow my ponytail to fly free whilst keeping my ears warm, might do the trick. Of course the weather isn't really cooperating and its mild and rainy here, not the weather for headbands, so its not been tested yet. The Spaniel volunteered to model the headband for you, in return for a Gravy Bone. I'm sure you will agree that she totally rocks the look.

Marfy 2012 - 13

The Marfy catalogue is now available for pre-order. I haven't decided whether to get one this year or not. These are the free patterns.

The turquoise top is beyond fabulous... but its really not going to work in my wardrobe, however much I wish it would.

I like the top and skirt second from left, but how many straight skirt patterns do I need? And how many strappy tops. Though it would be an excellent underlayer piece, so in that respect, a good thing to have, I'm not sure its worth the cost of the catalogue to get that pattern.

The middle outfit is gorgeous. However, how practical is a dolman sleeve top? Can you wear them under jackets and cardigans? I seem to recall that you can't. The skirt that is worn with it is very lovely though. Very much my sort of style.

I can't see me making the cape thing, mainly because I have another Marfy cape pattern which I like much better.

I do like the jacket at the far right. The collar shaping is fabulous and the pussy cat bow at the neck looks lovely with it and I am planning a pussy cat bow blouse or two, using my existing Marfy pattern and altering it to have the bow. So the whole look could be achieved reasonably easily.

What do you think of the patterns?

More socks

I finished the eleventh pair of socks yesterday so have met my challenge. These are the Cat Bordhi Discovery Toe Up sock and are pretty much a plain vanilla sock. The yarn is self striping and although I did try, I couldn't find the pattern match to make exactly identical socks, so I have fraternal twins. I don't think it matters all that much to be honest. The pattern is simple to do, and I knit these in 19 days, in between doing other things. If I'd got on with them, I think I could have knit them in a week, if I'd had no other projects on the go.

They have a 54 stitch toe, and one sole increase round, making the leg width 60 stitches and the heel the same. I really like the toes and heels on this pattern. They are increased/decreased evenly in six slices and I find these fit me very snugly and are very comfortable to wear.

The yarn is Katia Ole New Duetto, a self striping yarn (colourway 3005). Its a bit splitty to be honest, I think that's because its made from two plies of different colours, as well as due to its slightly hairy nature. Its not a particularly smooth yarn and not the softest either. Not scratchy at all on my feet, but I wouldn't personally choose to use this yarn for shawls or things that were next to soft skin areas, simply because I tend to be a bit sensitive to such things. It really is just a personal preference. Ravelry shows shawls made in this and they look gorgeous as the long colour changes look fabulous over a larger item. I think it will be quite hard wearing though, which is definitely what is wanted in a sock after all.

Technically, I finished 12 pairs, of socks since I did make the preemie socks too. Though I'm not sure those doll sized socks really counted. As it turned out, they were too small for Zach and have been donated to the Special Care Baby Unit where young Zach was cared for up until Sunday. He is finally home, which is a fantastic Christmas present for his young parents (who are perhaps now wondering if they will ever sleep again).

Jacket... pronto

Last weekend, I did cut out both the dress that will form part of the SWAP and the knit jacket, having decided that madness or not, I wanted to see if I could make the jacket from a knit. The dress is laid aside until SWAP starts and I started on the jacket the same day, and was surprised at how fast it went together on the overlocker. Mum managed to find the perfect trim in her stash, and has donated it to me. The knit has a slight pinkish cast, whereas the trim is more of an oatmeal colour, but they work fine together and give a very understated and classic look to the jacket. I think I've managed to keep back enough of the trim to use on the dress neckline and armholes so will have a matched set if I were to wear them together (unsure whether I would do that actually but its nice to have the option).

I discovered several key things about working with knits during this process:

This knit adhered to the carpet a bit when I'd laid it down. I discovered this AFTER I cut out the pieces. My dress won't be quite as long as planned, and will have a very narrow hem as a result of this. :)

I didn't stabilise the neckline or armholes with fusible tape, as I would normally have done, because the jacket is unlined and the tape would have shown. This was a bad idea. I think next time I will line loosely with a stretch lining and go for the tape option. The armholes were a particular issue on this jacket. The weight of the knit dragged them down to a huge degree and I suspect my overlocker may have contributed to the stretching out in this area. My armholes stretched down to the bottom of my rib cage by the time I'd got the sleeves sewn in. This tends not to be a good look on anyone. RuthieK and I discussed this problem and I came up with a fix. I've threaded strong cotton thread through the overlock stitches and persuaded the armhole to go back to its original size then knotted the thread. This is NOT the recommended method I am sure.

I had to cover the collar attachment seam with a selvage strip of the knit, which I turned in on both edges. This is rather bulkier than is desirable, but better than having the overlocking show. This was only because I had lacked enough fabric to make a facing.

I could NOT get the button holes to work on this fabric. The stretch button hole came out too close together and I couldn't get the buttonhole chisel in without cutting the stitching. The ordinary and fine button holes on my machine went wavy. I tried with both washaway and ripaway stabilisers both top and bottom, but nothing worked. This jacket is closed with snaps under the buttons for this reason. However, its not ideal. It either needed larger snaps, which I didn't have, or hooks, as the front doesn't lie quite together. However, its not been worn yet, so it might behave better than I expect in use.

The binding took quite a while to attach by hand. However, it was worth it to have a proper finish on it.
This was an experiment. and as experiments go, I think it was reasonably successful. It seems like its going to be wearable and I am very excited about having a pattern I can make up into a quick, comfortable jacket that will be smart enough for work. Next time I think I will narrow the sleeves a little and of course stabilise more areas of the jacket. If I can find something suitable, I would also try lining the next one, though I remain concerned that the knit might droop at the hem, against the less supple lining. Maybe a larger than average jump pleat and back pleat might fix that though.

SWAP Update

OK, I've altered the SWAP already. :) The amended storyboard is shown above and the SWAP now has a name. Thanks to Julia who thought it should be named after her favourite Gary Moore song. I think it fits the SWAP and was happy to have a name for it at last. I had been tempted to call it "Baby Blue" after one of my favourite Bob Dylan songs but that didn't seem to fit it somehow.

I've also decided on all the patterns now. I wanted a SWAP that would work really hard, and didn't feel that the Marfy vest would work as well in the wardrobe as an overdress would. I don't tend to wear sleeveless vests all that often but do wear my McCalls overdress quite a bit so this seemed a more sensible choice.

I laid out the fabric for the dress this morning, to check I had enough, and I had more fabric than I thought I did. It is a heavy wool jersey which has stretch in both directions (up and down, and around the body). I have managed to squeeze almost all of the pieces for my TNT McCalls frill collar jacket (pattern shown above) out of the fabric, along with the dress. The only bit I can't get out is the front facing. However, I haven't cut anything out yet because I can't decide whether it is sensible to make a tailored jacket from a stretch jersey, and can't work out whether the lack of the front facing, which would cover the collar seam and finish the front edge/curved front hem, would make the jacket look rubbish. Inside the jacket I can finish the seams with the overlocker, I might even be able to construct the jacket on the overlocker, but I am not sure how to make the edges neat without the facing or how best to finish the collar and hem edges. I am toying with a binding since I could bind the collar attachment seam first then, to cover the ends of that, bind the whole outer edge of the jacket, taking it over the end of the collar binding and up around the collar edge itself. I am tempted by an animal print binding and animal pattern buttons. I think I'd go for snaps under the buttons so I don't get wiggly buttonholes. I have a terrible habit of cutting things out and then thinking "Oh Crap!! That won't actually work". So the whole thing is still laid on the floor to give my brain time to find the flaw in the plan

PS. I actually went into the workroom to cut out a blouse so I could test the pussy cat bow that I want to add to one of the SWAP blouses.

SWAP Plan for 2012

Here is this year's SWAP Plan. It lacks a name because I can't think of anything suitable.

As always, my photos are a bit rubbish. Most of the fabrics wouldn't photograph under artificial light so I've added some coloured squares to give the general impression of the colours being used.

The plan marks a departure for me as it includes no black items at all, however, all of the items will work with three or more items in my existing wardrobe and some will work with considerably more. Most patterns are TNT. The exception is the dress and vest. The dress doesn't fit quite the way I want; the vest still needs tissue alteration and muslining. That is due to be done in the next week or two and hopefully this will resolve the matter of whether the dress or vest will be made for the SWAP. I am hoping that I can get the vest sorted really. I think it will be more versatile in the wardrobe than the dress. Though I lack a suitable fabric for the vest at the moment but I daresay I could force myself to look for a fabric for it. :)

Baby clothes

My best friend's daughter was due to give birth in January. However, her waters broke on Friday and despite the efforts of the medics to delay matters, she went into labour on Saturday night, four weeks early. Baby arrived early this morning after a far from straightforward labour in which at every stage, things failed to go according to plan. Thankfully, I just heard an hour ago that both mum and baby are going to be OK. Baby has confounded all expectations and weighed in at 5 pounds 9 ounces which is apparently quite good. He is also breathing unaided, which the doctors hadn't been sure he would be able to do.

However, baby had no clothes to fit because mum hadn't bought anything below first size. So all weekend, people have been knitting to create a wardrobe for the new babe. We didn't know the gender, and had no idea just how small the babe would be. The new grandma knit a cardigan in neutral shades whilst simultaneously running her own business singlehanded, keeping everyone up to date with developments and chewing her fingers to ribbons because she couldn't go to the hospital to be with her daughter. My mum knit two cream hats and a pair of cream mitts, both with lemon ribbons. And my contribution is shown above. I knit in blue because that was the yarn I had on hand. The biro in the photo gives the scale of these impossibly small items. The mitts and socks just fit on one of my finger ends. I started knitting with what I had on hand as soon as I knew that the baby was coming because babies need things that have love knitted or sewn into every stitch and it seemed urgent that I start right that very minute and not spend time faffing about looking for wool rather than actually knitting that love into something. So I sat up late on Friday, and Saturday, and I knit as fast as I knew how to, and all the time I was knitting love into those garments and hoping little babe and the mum, who I've known since she was less than a year old, would be OK. Because, when nature takes over and you can't do anything to really help someone you love, you knit, or you sew, or you do something, anything, that might somehow help to make the outcome work out well for everyone involved in the process.

And it worked. It really worked. So that set of tiny little preemie garments that you see up there, together with the cream and lemon items, two pairs of normal sized baby socks, a baby sleep sack made by mum, and the baby blanket that took me forever to knit in the summer, will all set off for their new home tomorrow and I hope that all that love will mean that little Zack can come out of ICU tomorrow and spend some time with his mum and dad.

Tenth pair of socks

Finished with literally half an hour to spare... I had set myself the target of completing these, the tenth pair in my self imposed sock challenge, by the end of November. I finished grafting the second toe at 1130pm last night.

The pattern is Paraphenalia by Taina Anttila and is free on Ravelry.

The yarn is Knit Picks Essential Kettledyed, in colourway Jay. I like the way the yarn has some subtle colour variation and love this shade of blue. It is a lot prettier than my camera and the artificial lights and flash, would have you believe.

The yarn knit up reasonably well. I hope these wear as well as my last pair of Knit Picks socks, which have been worn a great deal and are still almost as nice as the day they were knit.

The legs came out very long, they are almost boot socks. I think I could have reduced the leg length by one pattern repeat and still had a respectably lengthy sock. However, these will certainly keep the drafts at bay.

The cables weren't difficult to do, though a little fiddly. I made my life unnecessarily difficult by using plastic cocktail sticks as cable needles and they kept snapping at inopportune moments. But if I'd used the correct equipment......

Craft Show

I attended my first craft show as a seller today and took a photo of my stall for you all to see. Sadly, I didn't get a particularly good picture using my IPod's camera, but I think you can see the general feel of the stall. I was selling beaded, snag free knitting stitch markers. It wasn't very successful from a commercial viewpoint; I only sold one item, and made a loss overall. However, it was a good experience and I enjoyed it. The boxes on which the markers are displayed were covered in fabric I had dyed myself a few years ago. They are pinned to the boxes using an idea of RuthieK's. Buttons superglued to push pins. All my buttons were clear plastic with silver glitter inside. To cover the area where the button's holes were, I glued little crystals. This worked really rather nicely I thought, and echoed the shine of the beaded markers.

As you can see, I had some knitting on show, to demonstrate the placement of the markers, and the knitting itself proved to be quite a talking point.

It was a local Christmas fair held in our community centre and I had always known that it was unlikely to be a place where the markers would fly off the stall. However, I wanted a small, local, friendly place to start out in, to see how the stall layout worked, and whether I would find the experience friendly and enjoyable. Overall, I did. I had plenty of people visiting the stall to chat, mainly older people who had knitted in their younger days but no longer did so. Although few people really wanted what I had to sell, a number were intrigued and I had several very interesting conversations with people. I felt that my stall layout worked well, though the covered boxes I was using needed more weight in the bottom as they wobbled a bit when the stall was knocked.

I got a lot of useful feedback from stall visitors and felt it was a very positive experience overall.

Knitting and Stitching Show 2011

Today, I went to the Knitting and Stitching Show in Harrogate. I go every year and normally really enjoy it. This year, however, the crowds, always very large, were unmanageably enormous and it was almost impossible to move, see things, look at anything, or hear yourself think. A victim of its own success I suspect. The huge throngs did rather spoil my enjoyment I am afraid. However, it did prove just how popular crafts, particularly knitting, have become. The show was full of knitting stands and a lot of luxury yarns which would suit one or two skein projects best simply because the cost of making a garment in them would be prohibitive. The Black Sheep were there with their huge pile of discounted yarns, but I couldn't find anything I liked enough. Which is a pity as I have two new patterns that I wanted to knit, both needing aran weight yarn and I'd been really hoping to get some yarn to start at least one of them over Christmas.

Knitting was particularly well represented at the show, together with small crafts such as beading, paper crafts, embroidery and, to a lesser extent than usual, cross stitch. Quilt stalls also seemed to be thinner on the ground and the button stalls seemed to only have plastic and wood buttons, no glass or metal that I noticed.

I found the sewing stalls disappointing, perhaps because I was particularly focusing on getting two pieces of navy trouser fabric and although I found four garment fabric stalls, none had navy trouser weight in a suitable fabric type. Rosenberg's, normally a place I can absolutely guarantee to get trouser weight fabric, hadn't nearly as much fabric on the stall this year because this was the third show he had done back to back. I was particularly disappointed because I do love his fabrics and had rushed there first hoping to sort out the SWAP items nice and early so I could concentrate on getting buttons and finishing items for the garments. As you can see, I didn't come away from Rosenberg's empty handed, but neither piece is the navy blue trouser weight that I needed for the SWAP.



The purple is 100% virgin wool, french, and whilst a definite bargain, was considerably more expensive than I would normally consider . I got 1.75m of this, to be sure I can get a jacket out of the length without having to scrimp. The colour will work with black, grey and navy so it should be able to work very hard in the wardrobe. I have tops that will work with it, and some fabrics to make more tops if they are required later. So, whilst an investment piece, it will hopefully repay me in cost per wear.



The red is also 100% wool, a much denser fabric, and is destined to become a jacket to replace my existing red one, which has been very well loved and now looks considerably past its best. This too will work with existing items very effectively and there are fabrics in stash to make more tops to work with this one also.


Also shown in the photo are the remainder of my purchases.

The beads will adorn three different shawls. I have the yarns in stash already for these.

The knitting needles are Knit Pro Harmony and are the last few needed to give me a full set of all the sizes I am likely to require. There are two sets of double points, and one set of tips for my interchangeables. There are also two spare cables for my interchangeables, 120cm and 150cm, as well as a set of cable connectors to use to lengthen the shorter cables by attaching them together.

The skein of yarn is Araucania Botany Lace and will become a shawl. I really, really love this yarn and although I wasn't supposed to buy any more lace or sock weight yarn, this one really did have to come home with me. I was very, very good. As you can see, I stuck to my promise not to bring home more sock yarns. And I can tell you this was very hard to stick to as there were a lot of sock yarns that wanted me to adopt them.

After the show, I went up to the local quality fabric shop and got the two lengths of navy wool/poly blend trouser weight which I needed for the SWAP. One is plain colour but has a noticable weave pattern. The other is navy with a pale pin stripe, consisting of three lines close together, then one line further away. I didn't take a photo because navy doesn't photograph under artificial light particularly well.

PS. Fabulous news. On checking the photo, I find the needle tips are not in the photo. I seem to have lost them. I presume I've dropped them somewhere in the show since I've searched the car, the bags (including the one that I put into the kitchen bin which was covered in mushroom peelings), surrounding area... no luck. Will investigate in daylight, but think they are gone. :(

Marfy 1666 - Success at last

On the second attempt, I think I have the fit sorted on these trousers. It seems that it was the grain line that was incorrect as they appear to be hanging well now. However, as can be seen in the photos, its a bit more difficult than I expected to get the button closure to sit completely flat. I am wondering whether using shank style buttons would allow the buttons and buttonholes enough play to let the closure lie flat? What do you think?

Also, the pocket lining is peeking slightly, and again, the pocket isn't ultra flat. I do find this pocket style a bit difficult to get exactly correct and hope that practice will make perfect on this. I did stay the pocket edge with Vilene iron on edge tape but perhaps I should have shortened the tape a little when I applied it so that it drew the pocket edge up a little (using the same method as when applying a shortened stay tape to a lapel break line).

This pair are lined with bemberg lining. I was a bit worried about how I was going to actually install the lining but it turned out to be quite easy. However, here is a tip; cut them with the pattern pieces wrong way up on the fabric if your lining has a definite right and wrong side since they are assymetric and if you don't do it this way, you will end up with lining legs that won't fit the trousers. The first leg was cut wrong, though the bemberg is plain and its wrong side isn't evident, so I just sewed it up the other way around (after I'd unpicked the first attempt of course).

I sewed the lining legs separately, then sewed the crotch seam. Because I chose to attach the yoke sections as part of the leg units so that I could have alterable side seams, I felt the neatest way to install the lining was to tack the lining to the seam allowances by hand, then fold the inner yoke into place, pin carefully and hand prick stitch through all layers, thus attaching the whole thing together reasonably neatly. Though it took quite a while to do it by hand, I felt the end result was worth the effort as I had much more control over the whole process. The lining was also sewn down to the button opening by hand as well. I did this after I'd put on the buttons for the closure so that I could cover the back of the button sewing with the lining.

Button holes were painted with fray stop before they were cut open. Button sewing and hemming was also done by hand.

I am going to wear these to work tomorrow with brown suede and crocodile heeled brogue style shoes, a cream sweater, and a brown linen jeans style jacket. If the trousers are comfy all day, then this pattern will probably be used in my SWAP.

Marfy 1666 - Mark Two

Well, if at first you don't succeed.... try again. After the navy trousers went wrong, I suspected the grain line was at fault and changed that on the tissue. I made a new muslin last weekend and it looked much better than the first. I also caught another fitting issue, a baggy seat problem, and was able to alter that on the muslin and transfer that alteration to the tissue.

Yesterday I cut out a second pair in proper fabric; brown wool/poly flannel, and spent most of today constructing them.

There isn't much to show yet. I've chosen a construction order which creates four "leg/yoke" units, and these are not sewn together until quite late in the process so I have the left leg units done, the right back leg unit is ready but the right front unit still needs its yoke pieces attaching. Shown in the photo is the front left leg section, which includes the slant pocket, front closure and has one side of the yoke/band attached. I've cut out and constructed the left leg lining but haven't yet cut the lining for the right leg. I am ready to begin attaching the fiddly right yoke, which extends right across the front of the trousers. And that is a job for another day when I'm not tired since it requires a bit of stopping and starting as well as the ability to drive the machine neatly around a small curve.

They are looking good so far..... but then I said that last time at this stage so we shall see.

Long Cardigan

I finished knitting this last week but had to wait to get it some buttons before I could declare it completed.

Its knit from two strands of 4 ply held together; one is Cygnet sock in Lilac, the other is King Cole Merino 4 Ply in black. This produces something a touch heavier than double knitting I think. I was using the yarns up as I didn't really like the way either of them knit up on their own. Together, they look fine though.

The pattern is Romy by Fallmasche (again) but I altered it a bit. The sleeves are done totally in rib and it has a ribbed waist panel but is much longer as you can see. I didn't calculate the weight of the skirt section of the cardigan properly and the ribbed waist panel has dropped to my hips. Also the sleeves needed a few more stitches as they are a bit tight. Not too tight to wear, but just a bit too tight in appearance in comparison the the more sloppy, unfitted shape of the cardigan body. The sleeves look like they belong to a more fitted garment somehow. I have a purple leather belt which I will probably wear on the cardigan if I wear it to go out and about in. I think I can persuade the ribbed portion to stay on my waist if I belt it, so all is not lost.

Those buttons are actually black, though the sun shining on them when I took the photo seems to have caused the photo to show them as verging on grey.

This was always intended to be a sloppy, casual item suited to curling up on the sofa with a good book and a snoring dog and it seems to meet its specification admirably. I sort of knit it on the fly. I had a vague idea what I wanted and the knitting sort of evolved as I knitted.

SWAP 2012

The rules for this year's Sewing with a Plan (SWAP) on Stitchers Guild are up. The rules have been altered to make them emphasise sewing. In particular, the sewing of existing Tried and Tested (TNT) patterns and working on new patterns to create new TNT's.

Best of all, from my viewpoint at least, the rules are more flexible on types of garment and this means I can make two jackets and still be within the rules. Two items can be previously sewn, but all items have to be sewn, there is no purchased item choice. There doesn't appear to be a knitted or crocheted item choice either. I can live with that though I may need to show the sewn garments with a purchased top, for decency's sake, as I think I am only making three tops this year.

So the rules require me to pick seven different items from this list, and of those seven, make four of the items up twice. Those made twice can be the same pattern, or two different patterns.

Choices are:


Button down shirt with collar
Blouse or polo shirt
Tee Shirt
Vest
Overshirt (it seems this also encompasses over dresses)
Dress
Long pants
Jeans
Shorts or capri pants
Skirt
Jacket (jean jacket, hoodie, windbreaker etc)
Coat (suit or sport coat)
Overcoat or raincoat
Bathing Suit and cover-up.

There is also a substitution rule that allows those who never wear skirts, to make extra pants and those who never wear pants, to make extra skirts though I may not avail myself of that.


At the end you must have eleven garments that will live together peacefully in the wardrobe. The garments should fit you nicely and should be able to be worn together often. There is no requirement for making a certain number of tops or bottoms, and you don't have to include a print.

I have been mulling this over ever since the rules were posted and whilst I haven't come to a firm conclusion, I have a couple of ideas and will almost certainly include two boiled wool jackets. I hope to start sorting fabrics and patterns this weekend and ideally I'd like to sew entirely from stash if I can manage that. I want to make my SWAP work really, really hard and avoid any orphans. I also want to work out the various options for each item planned, and see how many outfits I can make from it/them/existing wardrobe items. I am interested to see just how hard I can make eleven items work for me.

I like the rules and think they lend themselves to interpretation that will allow plenty of people to fit the rules to their actual lifestyle and hopefully this will encourage a lot of participation. Last year, only two people finished, and I am guilty of being one of those who dropped out. In my case, due to the pressure of work on my diploma course. Since that is now complete I hope to be able to concentrate on SWAP and do justice to it.

Even if you don't do SWAP type things, would those rules allow you to create a wardrobe that worked for you easily?

Grrrrr, I am an idiot

OK. I think I have been a complete twit. Even in the rather poor photos above (which I can't work out how to lighten), I think it can be seen that my trousers have in fact come out with more wrinkles than a Shar-Pei.

I think I've managed to cut them off grain. Some of the pattern pieces had grain line arrows, but some of them said, toward the hem and at the very edge of the pattern piece "On Grain". I assumed this meant that the edge of the pattern piece was on grain all the way up the leg. Now I am not sure. I have tweaked and fiddled with these trousers all afternoon and have concluded that I should possibly have squared a grain line up from the section that was marked as on grain as it seems that the edge of the pattern piece, whilst it looks straight, actually isn't. If you look at one of the pattern pieces photographed below, you will see what I mean. The grain line I've drawn is the width of my yardstick away from the edge of the pattern piece at the hem where the marking is. And I've squared it up using a quilting ruler. If I am correct in my diagnosis, this puts my trouser legs seriously off grain and explains the wrinkles. It doesn't explain why my muslin appeared to hang correctly though. So I may still be barking up the wrong tree with this. In which case, I will be very disappointed in my next version of these trousers.

I am not entirely confident in my diagnosis of the fault, and am also questioning my grain line drawing skills right now. However, its the best explanation I can come up with, and the trousers seemed to fit otherwise. So I am going to make another pair and see whether they come out better. But I shan't be starting on them until tomorrow (at least).

Another Burda Skirt

This is another version of the skirt I made a few months ago. The pattern is Burda World of Fashion 08/06 Number 103.
The fabric is a remnant that came from Trendy Fabrics some time ago, and formed part of a prize won for sewing contest. I think its alpaca, silk and wool. The dark lines are actually a very dark navy rather than black, with green and chestnut colours in the mix also. The fabric goes fabulously well with the very dark navy boiled wool I got last month, which is going to become a jacket. I've included a close up of the tweed, though its a bit bleached out by the flash. Its quite a light weight fabric and a bit loose woven so it stretched a bit when sewn. Made worse by all the inset pieces being on the bias.

I must apologise for the quality of the photos. It was raining when I took the shots and the rain must have got on the lense. It was also very cold and I couldn't bear to be out there too long posing for shots, lest I freeze to death. None of the shots of the back of the skirt came out so I've included a rather poor hanger shot so you can see the fullness.

I put an invisible zipper in the back seam rather than in the side seam, and constructed it a different way from that suggested by Burda. Having made the front unit, I made up the back pieces, including the inset section at the hip. Then tacked the front and back together at the side seams and fitted it, before sewing it permanently. I'd added a quarter inch to the side seams when I cut it out as well as a quarter inch to one side of each side back panel as I didn't want the skirt too tight. In the end I had to take the back seams in at the waist to form a little dart on either side, plus taking a dart in the upper section of the side seams, tapering to nothing, in each case, before the high hip. This fit it to the waist but left plenty of ease across the hips.

I've also added an inch and a half to the length of the skirt because I wanted something a little longer to wear with boots. The pattern had a one and a half inch hem included, and I've only taken a scant hem, so I've lengthened it quite a bit.

The lining was cut from the front pattern piece, plus the side inset piece. At least, the second version was. The first version I cut without the side inset and the lining would only have fit a very small child. I also cut the lining slightly larger than the skirt and gathered it to fit at the waist so the lining wasn't too tight across the hips. I used a cheap poly satin that I'd got from Abhakhan fabrics some time ago. It has a huge pattern of clouds and wiggly lines in burgundy, grey and cream on a brown background.

Marfy 1666 In Progress

This is the trousers so far. I really wanted to put the button holes in whilst the pieces were flat and without the complication of the waistband yoke so I came to a halt on these on Sunday afternoon, because I don't have any suitable buttons. I was really on a roll with them too so it was super frustrating to have to stop.

The right front leg has been constructed and the central seam topstitched. I used the regular thread but increased the stitch length to 3.5 (from 2.5 which is the default setting on my machine).

The left front leg has the pocket constructed and the placket sections pressed into place, but nothing else has been done. The pocket is so well designed. The pocket bag fits exactly behind the placket section and every part of the pocket lines up perfectly. I stabilised the slanted edge of the front leg, as well as the edge of the pocket bag section, using stitch reinforced stabilising tape. This has stopped the pocket from gaping. Particularly crucial with this fabric, which has some lycra in it for comfort.

The back left leg is constructed and the outer section of the yoke is sewn in place, having sewn the dart.

The back right leg is constructed and the pocket flap sewn onto the yoke. The outer yoke piece has also been attached to the trouser leg. The pocket flap is blind (no pocket) and the edge was serged and turned under at the top and then the flap, which had been topstitched, was attached using a line of topstitching. I then flipped the flap up and sewed the serged edge down to the trouser by hand to keep it neat. The flap will be closed by a button in due course but I haven't put a fake button hole on. I've only just realised, writing this, that I should have put a button hole on the flap before attaching it.

Having come to a halt on these, I have been working on a skirt, which is nearly done and I hope to get back to the trousers tomorrow.

Pajama Party 2

The pajamas are all complete at last. My cover stitch skills are not great so don't look too hard at them, but on the other hand, they are PJ's so excellent items to use for practicing said cover stitch skills.

The legging pattern is McCalls 5394, which gives you options for various leg lengths but even better, gives proportional pattern pieces so there are pieces for petite, average and tall fitting. This is fantastic because you can pick the body length you need and the leg length. I make the tall size, despite being only five foot one inch tall because this gives me a long body rise length then I shortened the legs a bit on the lengthen/shorten lines. The pattern itself is super simple; one piece, cut twice. Sew the inseams, put one leg inside the other, sew the crotch seam, turn over the top one inch, make a casing. Run elastic through. Hem the legs. And voila.

The top is Burda World of Fashion 10-06 Number 114. My standard TNT long sleeved Tee shirt pattern.

Next item to sew, Marfy 1666 trousers in navy blue cotton with a touch of lycra. Its a kind of chino type fabric, with a slightly glazed finish to the face. I had planned to make this pattern in brown wool flannel first. However, navy trousers will be more useful in the wardrobe at the moment. I cut the trousers out this afternoon and plan to work on them tomorrow.

Mystery Moonlit Shawl

At last, I can post this. I actually finished knitting it last week and blocked it last weekend. However, it was a mystery knit and to preserve the mystery, I couldn't post it until the pattern was published, which it was this morning.

The pattern is Polaris by Susannah IC.

Yarn is Posh Yarn Sadie Lace Weight, colourway is Drowning in Tears.

I love the yarn and the beads match exactly. Either the pattern was a bit more difficult than it looked or I suffered a lot from bad luck. This has fallen off the needles twice and is currently holding the record for the greatest number of times I have unpicked a single item.

I can't do justice to the colour in the photographs. Its the most amazing green-ey, greyish, bluish shade with a purple cast in places. Absolutely delicious. The yarn is 50% tencel and 50% merino so its a bit more drapey and slippery than previous shawls I've made. Its also lovely and shiny. It stays put though, and isn't one of those garments that have to be constantly fiddled with to keep them in place.

I wore it with a jacket and scoop neck top earlier in the week and it was just right for giving a touch of luxury to an otherwise not so exciting outfit.

I didn't use up all of the skein so I will probably use the remaining yarn to make a smaller neckerchief style item at some point.

Books - how many have you read?

I am a voracious reader. Always have been. Admittedly, I read a lot of trash, but in amongst that, especially of late, I've been reading books with a bit more substance to them. I've been making a list on my IPod of both favourite authors and of books that I've seen recommended, and this had been great when I've gone to the library (and if I've got any funny looks for wandering about with a list on my IPod, I've not noticed them).

Whilst having a look for recommended books on line, I came across this list which was apparently created for the Big Read some time ago. I am very late to the party. Apparently they think that most people will only have read six of the one hundred books here. Well, I took that as a challenge and thought others might enjoy it in a similar vein, so I have reproduced it here. So, here is how it works:
1. Look at the list and bold the ones you have read.
2. Colour the text of those you intend to read but haven't got around to.
3. Italicise the books you love
4. Pass this around so that others can do this and maybe it will encourage people to pick up authors they might not have thought to try.

1. Pride and Predjudice - Jane Austen
2. The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4. Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6. The Bible
7. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8. Nineteen Eigthy Four - George Orwell
9. His Dark Materials - Phillip Pullman
10. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11. Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12, Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14. Complete works of Shakespeare
15. Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16. The Hobbit - J R R Tolkien
17. Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18. Catcher in the Rye - J D Salinger
19. The Time Travellers Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20. Middlemarch - George Eliot
21. Gone with the Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22. The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23. Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26. Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh.
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Doestoyevsky
28. Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29. Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Caroll
30. The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32. David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33. Chronicles of Narnia - C S Lewis
34. Emma - Jane Austen
35. Persuasion - Jane Austen
36. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - C S Lewis
37. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38. Captain Corellis Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39. Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40. Winnie the Pooh - A A Milne
41. Animal Farm - George Orwell
42. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44. A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45. The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46. Anne of Green Gables - L M Montgomery
47. Far From the Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48. The Handmaids Tale - Margaret Atwood
49. Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50. Atonement - Ian McEwan
51. Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52. Dune - Frank Herbert
53. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55. A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57. A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59. The Curious Incident of the dog in the Nighttime - Mark Haddon
60. Love in the Time of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck.
62. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63. The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65. Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66. On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67. Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68. Bridget Jones Diary - Helen Fielding
69. Midnight's Children -Salman Rushdie
70. Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72. Dracula - Bram Stoker
73. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74. Notes from a Small Island - Bill Bryson
75. Ulysses - James Joyce
76. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77. Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78. Germinal - Emile Zola
79. Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80. Possession - A S Byatt
81. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83. The Colour Purple - Alice Walker
84. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85. Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86. A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87. Charlotte's Web - E B White
88. The Five people you Meet in Heaven - Mitch Albom
89. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90. The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92. The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93. The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94. Watership Down - Richard Adams
95. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96. A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98. Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo.

There are lots of great books missing off this list of course, but I found it quite interesting that most of my reading appears to have been confined to British or American authors. Its also interesting how many of the books I was introduced to in childhood have made it onto the list.

If you take the challenge, were you surprised by the results? I had read 37 from the list though I had started more than that and laid them aside because I couldn't take to a character or the narrative didn't grip me. There is a fair amount of Dickens on the list but I've never managed, despite repeated attempts, to get past about page twenty of any of his books. I've read some Shakespeare, having studied it at school, but because the entry is "the collected works" I didn't mark that one, although I've read Midsummer Nights Dream, Romeo and Juliet, Anthony and Cleopatra and, my personal favourite, The Tempest. The list reminded me of books I had always meant to read so my IPod list of authors has grown again. I daresay I will be able to find some of the older books in Kindle format, free. I was surprised by how many really good books are available as free E-Books and have downloaded quite a number to the IPod already.

Marfy 1666 - Muslin

Today I constructed the muslin for the trousers. Construction wasn't quite as complicated as I'd expected. But then, somehow, Marfy patterns always fit together better than any other pattern I've used.

I was able to use the process I'd seen in Threads to make the waistband/yoke treatment, which involved attaching the outer piece of the yoke to the top of each trouser leg unit and then sewing the inner yoke piece at the waist seam before I constructed the trousers. This gave four units which I then sewed together as "left leg" and "right leg" then put one leg inside the other to sew the crotch seam. This means that if the trousers must be altered, I can take in, or let out, the whole of the side seam/yoke section easily without taking off the entire yoke, because the side seams and centre back seams are one long seam that goes from the hem to the base of the inner yoke piece. Hopefully that makes sense. Its not so easy to explain, but it did seem to work well. I can't find the exact article I saw now but there is an article about easy alter waistlines in issue 157, page 62, which shows the general idea.

The photos of the muslin didn't come out all that well, but I think you get the general idea of the fit. Exactly as I suspected, I needed to take off the width of the seam allowance at the waist on each side, tapering to nothing at the hip. In order to avoid messing with the pocket, I tapered to nothing just at the point where the pocket goes into the side seam. I find that if I try to make alterations on the actual pocket itself, it will all go very wrong. Conveniently, on the other side, the alterations could be confined to the yoke part. I drew the first side seam curve, then laid subsequent pieces over that to ensure I got the curves exactly the same on both sides of the garment. A variation on a trick I was taught in tailoring class, where I was told to cut alterations with both front and back tissue pieces on top of each other, held together to ensure an exact match.

You can see the alterations are pinned into the side seams on the muslin. I had already scooped out the crotch curve a little, and that seems to have worked well. They feel comfortable, I can sit down in the muslin easily and the back doesn't pull down. The legs appear a good width and I like the look of the detailing. I am not certain that I will put the two welt pockets in the yoke, but may well put the pocket flap on, as a blind flap, for interest. I just don't think I'd use a pocket in the yoke, plus my fabric may be a touch on the heavy side for making welt pockets in the yoke.

I managed to stretch the slanted part of the pocket when I was pressing the muslin. I've made a note to stabilise the pocket edge as soon as I've cut the piece, in the final material.

The flaps hanging loose in the yoke photo are the strip that the buckle will attach to, and the yoke section that will go through the buckle. The section that will go through the buckle folds back on itself with snaps to hold it in place, rather than using a buckle with a prong. The spots where the snaps go can just be seen in the photo.

So there we have it. A muslin for trousers with only two alterations apparently required. I hope to get the actual trousers cut out sometime next week. However, I can't cut anything else out at the moment as the workroom is full of PJ's in progress and I have a shawl to finish.

Marfy 1666 - aka the trousers of many pieces

Sixteen pieces to be precise. Apart from the pocket pieces and the inside of the waistband, the entire pattern is a single layer layout due to the asymmetric design. I did take a photo of the catalogue drawing. However, Blogger has taken a violent dislike to it and refuses to host it for some reason. One more petty annoyance to add to the recurring one which puts huge spaces between my paragraphs for no discernable reason.

So, in the absence of a picture, I will attempt an explanation.

These trousers have a split in the lower front leg (which mine won't have... its winter... in Yorkshire... its not gonna happen), and an assymetric waistband with two welt pockets in. The front pocket has a little triangular tab, the back welt pocket has a flap. The trousers close with four buttons on the right front, at the top of the centre leg seam. The waistband also closes with a buckle fastening. There is also a curved pocket on the right side. The assymetric waistband comes to a point over the right hip and is narrower over the left hip. The back legs are in one piece, without seams, but due to the angled waistband, which continues across the back, there are left and right leg pieces. Interestingly, one leg has a dart, the other does not, presumably the dart on the right side is incorporated into the waistband somehow. I love details as you know, and this pattern has them in spades. I think its fabulous, but am aware that for others its the pattern equivalent of an overdecorated christmas tree.

And here is a shot of all the pattern pieces laid out and pinned together roughly so I can get a clearer idea of how they are supposed to go together, and use it to refer to when construction begins.

And here is the front of the trousers compared to my professionally fitted master trouser draft. As the master draft was based on a Marfy pattern, its not much of a surprise to note that the two are reasonably close. I lined these up, taking care to keep the grain lines parallel, and concentrated on the fit at the trunk since I can tweak the leg width later if I need to. The master pattern is on top, and its clear that the crotch needed scooping out and that is the only alteration I've made at the tissue stage. Although not clear on the photo, there will also be a need for width adjustment at the waist and hips, but I will do that when I fit the muslin so I can accurately gauge comfort and ease.

I am guessing the side seams will need taking in by about half to three quarters of an inch each side, though some of that might be taken at the back centre seam so that the alteration is more evenly spaced.

Although there looks to be a lot going on with these trousers (and there is of course), I think it is going to be possible to construct them in such a way that width alterations can be fairly simply achieved. I saw an article in Threads about attaching waistbands in such a way that future alteration for shape changes can be easily achieved, and I think this should prove possible everywhere except the centre front seam. As I am developing a little bit of a belly, it wouldn't seem sensible to alter them there anyway.

I have the muslin cut and marked, but then got distracted by the need for PJ's.

Pajama Party

I met up with RuthieK in Preston for a shopping and chatting day. We did a prodigious amount of both and it was an excellent day.

I was trying to stick to a £30 budget and only went over by £7 which I didn't think was too bad considering we went to both Abakhan and Preston Market. At the market I got some navy blue boiled wool (not pictured). This was what caused my budget to expand as I couldn't leave it behind, all lonely on the stall. It will become a jacket for work though I have yet to decide on the exact pattern. I want to make a notched collar jacket (the Marfy pattern with the inserted waist belt ideally) and need to work out how to achieve this in boiled wool with a single layer collar.

The first photo shows my haul from Abhakan. I was very restrained and only got what I went for, pajama fabrics. I bought enough for three pairs but when I got home, I found that I had three stash fabrics (the yellow floral and the spotted are shown in the second photo, there was also a bit of hot pink that I had already cut out before I remembered to take photos). It looks like I will get 5 pairs of PJ's, by making contrast bands on a couple of pairs. I may have enough fabric left for a couple of winter under tops too.

Photo One:

The top fabric is a waffle knit with only a small amount of stretch, but enough for a top.

The next pink fabric is double fabric, two layers of very thin jersey, one with regular spaced holes in, the other without. Almost like thermal vest fabric. It possibly is thermal vest fabric when I think about it.

Below that is a very large piece of black with dark blue animal print.

Then there is a plain blue heathered.

Then to the right is a hot pink plain

Then below that, a mint green background with christmas trees and penguins on it. I just love the print of this one but sadly it had a huge printing flaw in it so even though its a big piece of fabric, most will end up wasted. The pink matches the penguin's hat so the top will have pink sleeves and the bottoms will be the pink but will have penguin cuffs.

Photo Two:

Yellow lycra cotton jersey from a Wazoodle grab bag.

Black background with multi spots. A previous Abakhan bargain.

So I've spent this afternoon trying to work out economical cutting layouts but the fabric isn't properly dry yet so I've only been able to actually cut out the fabrics that were already in stash.

This morning was spent altering a tissue pattern and cutting out a muslin so I think its safe to say that I have plenty of sewing to occupy me over the coming weeks.

Baby Blanket

This has ended up being dubbed the Blanket of Doom. Not because its been difficult, it wasn't. Not because it went wrong. It didn't. Just because it seemed to be hanging about like a bad smell, and never getting any bigger for what felt like forever but was probably only about six months.

Of course, knitting tends to increase in size most effectively if you actually knit on the project, rather than staring at it and hoping it will knit itself. So this would explain the rather longer gestation period than is usual for my projects.

I didn't find it the most exciting knit in the world, and even the yarn failed to thrill me as it didn't knit up quite how I expected it to. I thought it would stripe, and thus whirl around the blanket in a pleasant manner. It didn't do that.

Yarn is Wendy Peter Pan double knit baby yarn. 100% acrylic and thus warm, hard wearing, machine washable, quick to dry, and requires no special faffing about on the part of the inevitably sleep deprived parents. The mum finds most wool uncomfortable and I wasn't sure if such sensitivities could be inherited which was a further reason for choosing an acrylic yarn.

Pattern is Round or Pinwheel Baby Blanket by Genia Planck. The pattern is free on Ravelry and is an excellent pattern. Very easy to knit, perfect TV knitting. I even found I could knit and read my Kindle at the same time for this project. There are absolutely loads of finished projects for this blanket on Ravelry, and I would certainly use the pattern again if I ever made another blanket.

Patterns, how many do you really need?

I was reading this post on Myrna's blog today, http://blog.myrnagiesbrecht.com/2011/09/i-dont-need-another-pattern.html and it started me thinking, or rather, it crystallised some ideas I've been considering for some time. That is, how many patterns you really need.


I have a lot of patterns but haven't made all that many of them up. I frequently find myself very disappointed when I make a new pattern up because it fits badly, even after I have carefully flat measured and calculated and measured every bit of myself and the pattern. Admittedly, I do have a better success rate with Marfy than with other companies. When I buy a new pattern I am often disappointed to find that, once I get into the envelope, its quite similar to a pattern I already own, and that existing pattern could have been used as a basis for creating the same look, without the endless fitting muslins. I am often put off by the idea that there will be so many muslins... given the amount of time I have available to sew, that I don't buy really current looks because they will be out of fashion by the time I've managed to persuade them to fit. So I actually end up buying variations on the same classic style pattern over and over again.

I am increasingly turning to a small sub-stash of patterns I've altered to fit successfully and trying to use those as a basis for other designs. However, my creative vision and my time available to sew or fiddle with tissue is very limited so the changes are often much less adventurous than they could be. This is not the way to improve skill, wardrobe versatility or to keep one's clothing reasonably current in style.

Nevertheless, I've hung on to lots of patterns that fit poorly but haven't been quite sure why since they weren't being used. Until I read Myrna's post, I hadn't really thought of those patterns as forming part of my research material for new looks but of course they are better than snoop shopping or fashion magazines because I can open the envelope and see the kind of shaped piece I need to be creating from my TNT basics or find out how to create the detailing.

I love all those couture detailing books out there and own several, yet still continue to just churn out items that are within my existing skill set rather than challenging myself to add such details to a well fitting pattern.


In terms of snoop shopping, its arguably the detail that makes the garment, and I see plenty of details that I like but then can't seem to find a way to incorporate them into my garments successfully. I tend to aim low with my "reproducible details" and only try things that I can clearly see how to do. Or can find the notions to achieve. Those lovely couture technique books come into their own at this point, if only I can remember to consult them, and not be intimidated by them.


This sounds like a whine, but it really isn't. I think I have realised that actually, I've been a lazy so and so for quite a while and need to get a bit more creative with the patterns I have, particularly some of the Marfy's that I know fit me. I also need to bite the bullet and make up some muslins for the frankly divine Marfy patterns I bought last year that have superb and unusual details but which have yet to see the light of day. I am thinking particularly of the rather challenging trouser pattern which has fourteen pieces to it. I have a clearer idea of how to alter a Marfy than any other pattern line, so its a good place to start from. But I also need to pay more attention to the details in the shops and train my mind to note them in a useful and constructive way instead of going "ooh, pretty, wish I could afford it/fit into it/had the skill to make it", and then walking away and making yet another straight skirt with a small split at the back, or my fourteenth version of the Burda funnel neck because I can't get up the energy to really think about how to realise the details on the source garment.


Another issue I have is that current in shape and style isn't always what suits me. I mostly choose to ignore current and go for "suits me" because I think I look and feel better if I do that. I rarely challenge myself to try on a different shape or style of item and I should do this more often since how else can I find out what would suit me?

I have concerns that I am starting to make wardrobe choices more suited to a person twenty years older than I am currently. Whilst I don't want to be "mutton dressed as lamb", I don't really want to be "lamb dressed as mutton" either and I am at a bit of a crossroads, age wise. Its difficult to know whether I need to jolt myself out of a rut or whether it isn't a rut but a style decision and one I should stick with because it works for me. I think its the latter, but am not confident of this.

So, Myrna, if you are reading this, thank you for your thoughtful and insightful post, It has given me a lot to think about and I am hoping that as I work through these ideas, my desire to sew, and to alter and amend patterns, will return. But, with the exception of Marfy, I don't plan to buy any more patterns for a while.