Why I'm Not on Project Runway

In October we were invited to our friends' square dance themed wedding in a loft in Chicago. I didn't have anything to wear so I decided to make a dress. I ended up designing and making this the day of the wedding. Never before have I sewn to deadline. I had worked out the basic idea in scrap fabric a few days before. Something came up the day before the wedding, so my sewing time was reduced to one day. I know this dress looks very simple, but it is lined and it fits well, and it hinted just enough at square dance to make me fit in, while being wearable in the future for any occasion. I wore it with a vest and boots to the wedding.

Gray Raglan T

I used my Built by Wendy sweatshirt pattern to make this t-shirt. The waistband is weird but I like the short sleeves with a wide arm band instead of a hem.

I haven't sewn much this fall, but I have been knitting a lot. The part of knitting that I love the most is watching the shows about it. I watch Knitty Gritty, Knit & Crochet Today, and Knitting Daily.

Skirt with Many Seams

The pattern is Vogue 8428. It calls for wool. This is just a cotton trial version, but I did wear it a few times to make sure it didn't feel awkward in motion. I like the pattern a lot, but wool skirts have no place in my wardrobe. When it's cold enough for wool I wear pants. Plus, you have to line wool skirts so they don't stick to your tights or your matted winter leg hair and this skirt pattern doesn't have a lining. Why would they do that? I know a lot of people will just make their own lining pattern, but if I pay for a pattern, I want that part of the job to be done for me.

Twilight Skirt

I've noticed that customer service in retail stores has really improved lately. I think they felt the pressure of my boycott and are happy to welcome me back. A few years ago it seemed like the clerk/customer relationship was based on mutual resentment, or at least apathy. The helpfulness has returned and even a sense of playfulness. Yesterday I was browsing at Sephora and ended up with an impromptu makeover. I dove all the way in, spending almost $100 and walking away with my first set of Bare Minerals makeup. I think I was lonely. The makeup artist was very take-charge. I like to be told what to do, even though I worked a makeup counter once. He asked me who does my eyebrows. I told him, I do. He said, great job. It's nice to be appreciated.

Cabled Hat

Don't get distracted by my face. What you're looking at here is the wool hat that I knit from the fall 2008 issue of Vogue Knitting. These are my first cables. The pattern calls for bulky yarn, but I double stranded with worsted weight. It's very warm, but it barely covers my ears. I wish ear flaps didn't look so stupid, because they really do the job. I also wish people would just give in and start wearing ski/snow pants during the winter. Not just when they're skiing, but for walking to work. It would work better than those long down coats, and could definitely look cool if some effort were made by the designers. Come on, people.

Goodwill Jacket (Simplicity 2858)

I just filled two paper grocery bags full of clothes for the Goodwill - most of them handmade. This jacket is in one of the bags. I did wear it once, and the experience only confirmed my disappointment. I made a few alterations to the pattern. My sleeves are full length (I hate this trend of 3/4 length jacket sleeves) with cuffs, a zipper substitutes the buttons, and there's a pleat in the back to add shape to the waist. It's fully lined. I spent a couple full days working on it.
Before this jacket, I got about halfway through a corduroy Simplicity trench coat. It had a goth/pimp/western vibe, so I abandoned it. I haven't lost my determination or curiosity about jackets, despite my 0 in 6 stats. Seventh one's a charm?

Twinkle Sweater and Unnoticeable Pants

I decided to knit a second sweater from Twinkle's Big City Knits. There were errors in this pattern too, but I've had enough knitting experience now to correct them. It's called the Coco Sweater, but I left off the four pockets and changed the colors, so the design isn't very Coco anymore. What I love about this pattern is the crochet edging. I'm just learning crochet and this was my first project that included it. The sweater is made with three strands of cotton (and various other fibers at different percents) held together. The finished sweater weighs about eight pounds, but it drapes nicely. I'm afraid it's going to seriously sag after a day's wearing. It also snags on everything, so even though it only took four full days to knit it, it will probably have a short life.

The pants were based on Vogue Alice + Olivia pattern 2981 for city shorts that I lengthened. This pattern has the best fly method & instructions I've seen. I used a wool poly blend fabric with a slight stretch and they feel comfortable.

Another Great T-shirt

Well, it pays to make more than ten of the same thing.

Millenium Park tank top

This shirt was destroyed during the first washing. The elastic lace frayed around the entire neckline. You can't even count on quality when you do it yourself.

First Cowl Neck

Twins

A lot of people look like me. I don't know many of these people, but it's a fairly regular occurrence for strangers to ask me if I'm the sister of someone they know. Or sometimes they are convinced that I am someone they met - they think I'm lying and am pretending not to know them anymore. Once when I was in high school I was shopping with a friend at Urban Outfitters. We got separated. When my friend located me, she said in exasperation, "Keiler, everyone in this store looks exactly like you." I looked around and she was right.

The woman standing next to me in the photo above was painted by John Singer Sargent. One day at school a student approached me with a book open to that painting and as soon as he showed me, I could tell he was going to say - she looks like you.

My name, on the other hand, it very uncommon. In fact, I have never met another person with my first name. My whole life I've waited for it to happen. I've had nightmares about it. According to Internet searches, it seems to be more common for guys. This summer Scott and I were casually going to open houses. He stopped short when he saw the realtor's name on the sign for one condo - Jean Keiler. This is particularly unlikely because my middle name is Jean. We went in and met her and there's nothing dramatic to report. She seemed nice.

So here's what I want. If your first name is Keiler, or you happen to look like me, please make a comment or email me your picture, just for fun. Maybe I'll send you this other tank top so we can match.

Gray V Tank Top

Late August Sadness

What a lovely summer this has been. Today at I bought a three ring binder and loose-leaf paper at Jewel. The paper did not fit into the binder. The holes were too close together.

Please Reconsider the Pants

I really don't think they're as bad as everyone tells me. I made a whole series of shirts in gray, blue, and brown that look great with the flowers.

Cougars

refashioned t-shirt

Re-fashioned T-shirt

I managed to remove all the text off of the original shirt by cutting in the v-neck. I happened to have coordinating binding in both of the main shirt colors. It pays to have a broad selection of fabric.

Layering

White Tank with Gray Trim

Sporty

Gray and Pink Top

White Tank Top with Plaid Trim

I did not make these shorts.

Most Beautiful Dress

Soak it in.

Graphic Floral Dress

I realized after a year of clipping pictures of dresses I covet out of fashion magazines, that most of them share this shape. It’s not an unusual shape, but none of the pattern companies I know of are selling this style right now, so I had to make my own pattern. It took a long time because I don’t officially know anything about pattern drafting, but I managed to work this out. This dress will look better with a belt. I’ve already sketched a bunch of color & detail variations that I plan to start on soon.

Striped Stretch Denim Skirt

First Day of Summer

I made this skirt out of an old Gap shirt Scott was throwing away. It has a little pocket at the hip. I put four darts in the waist and added three buttons (spares that came with the shirt) to keep the front from gaping open. I like the shape of the hem - untouched from the original shirt. I consider this the best skirt I've made.

The t-shirt is also new and is my first perfect v-neck. This was a major accomplishment, and I'm not sure if I'll be able to do it right every time, but I have a pretty good system now.

I don't like these capri pants, so I didn't bother to show you the front. I did figure out how to make welt pockets and it's surprisingly fun to do.

Colorful Sweater

I finished my fair isle/intarsia wool sweater today. I am pleased with it, even though it has its own love handles. It bunches at the waist because it’s too long and the ribbing at the hips causes it to ride up.
I did not make the pants in this photo.

Square Pillow

Martha Stewart featured square pillows in a recent issue, so I decided to make one to go with my pillow with corners.

100th Post

Wendy Mullin’s book on sewing knits, Sew U Home Stretch: The Built by Wendy Guide to Sewing Knit Fabrics, was just released. Her other book, Sew U, was really what inspired me to start sewing. Both of these books come with three basic patterns and pages of suggestions for how to use and alter them. The gray sweatshirt here is one of the patterns included. The other two are for a t-shirt and a dress which I will try out soon. The fuchsia tank top here is McCall’s 4872 and the other tank and t-shirt are my own patterns. To anyone who wants to begin sewing, I recommend starting with these two books.

Spring Clothes

Scott seems very suspicious of these pants. He told me I should wear them only with a black top, and definitely not with this blouse. I don’t know. I think flowers go with flowers. I used new patterns, Built by Wendy (Simplicity) 4110 for the pants and McCall’s 5630. I made my usual alterations for fit and had no problems with either item.

Business Casual for the Home Office

I was watching Sewing with Nancy the other day and she demonstrated tips for packing a suitcase. The main tip was to put each garment in a separate plastic dry-cleaner’s bag and this prevents wrinkles. Once she finished layering all her outfits she zipped up the suitcase and said she likes to use the outer pockets for her “jammies and undies.” I love that.