Simplicity 2938

Above you can see the interior seam finishes

Above you can see the neckline tucks...

Here it is accessorized with the necklaces I had on today...

Here is my latest finished project. I've had it on my list to sew for a while (see my fall wardrobe board). It's Simplicity 2938 done up here in a very light weight dupioni cross-dye which was a dream to sew. I think this would be even better in a drapey fabric like a poly satin.

This is a really quick project, I knew it would turn out nicely because oodles of people on patternreview have made it. The only change I made was to lengthen it 1", add the front ties (this was a detail from a Tory Burch top from Spring 2008) and to do a forward shoulder adjustment. I also substituted a facing for the armholes for the bias tape in the instructions. I've had bad luck before with bias tape flaring out at the seamlines. I just turned and topstitched it as you can see from the interior photo. I'm not sure about the ties, they look a bit long but maybe this way I can tie them front or back??

Feels good to have another project finished. Next up is a storyboard for Spring!

A friendly Barter

My friend Debbie took some jewellery classes recently, so I asked her to make me something. In exchange, I said I would sew her a top. As you can see she made me an absolutely gorgeous necklace with a leaf drop front.

I made her not a top, but an easy jacket from sueded moleskin in a lovely soft orange (the photo looks deep orange, but it's not) You can read the whole review on www.patternreview.com

Thanks Debbie, I love my necklace!!

Resolutions for 2009 Update:

1. Sew with a plan whenever possible: I'm working on a spring plan, I'm deciding whether to finish a couple of projects from the fall/winter plan first
2. Do some decorating/painting in our house: Have had DH fix a curtain rod for the rec room, need to hem drapes for that room. Sewed a little valance on the weekend for the powder room; had DH rig up some antique crystal doorknobs to use as some hanging hardware.
3. Add some trend to my wardrobe: Ohh, that's a good one, need to work on that
4. Sew a coat. DONE!
5. Use my Burda Magazines more: I need to use these to accomplish #3. I did buy a very nifty tool to help trace/cut out patterns!
6. Excercise more: we have joined a gym and are making use of it. Lost 7 lbs so far!

Activewear

Being tall, it's a drag to find clothes that fit, let alone activewear (don't get me started on performance shoes!!) Yes, you can buy stuff at Tall Girls for a fortune or on-line without trying things on. But the beauty of sewing is you can make your own, have it fit perfectly and save a bundle.

Here are my Kwik Sew longjohns aka 'basewear' -- I used powerdry from http://www.wazoodle.com/ a great Canadian resource for activewear. Too bad I couldn't find it in a lycra blend, but oh well. I made the leggings from KS 3455 which has the bonus of being a one-seam pattern as well as having a diamond-shaped crotch gusset for more movement. The top shown is from KS 3567. I also made the matching crew-neck top to the leggings (not shown). As you can see from the picture taken outside, they did a great job of keeping me warm! Total cost for the patterns/fabric was about $65 for two tops (which I can wear as workout tops) and the leggings, plus I have enough fabric to make another top.

I generally layer them with a cami, base layer and stretch fleece top and leggings then my bib overalls (which are cheapies and not that warm, but I was able to find them in a tall size) and my insulated North Face jacket, a fleece gaiter and fleece lined hat, fleece liner gloves and ski mitts. My feet generally freeze, but this year with only one layer of socks (more room for the feet, and I guess an insulating layer of air) they did much better.

I preferred the top shown to the other one. The other top has a wrap-around side seam which felt a little odd under a top with a regular side seam, but it was only a minor preference. I also experimented with a flatlock seam on the pants, which results in a butted seam. It looked like it was not very sturdy, but worked like a charm! I reinforced the gusset with zig-zag stiching at the corners as any corners with a serger are difficult.

In the future I will hopefully be able to get some fine fleece with lyra or powerdry with lycra and make another set. I was also able to easily adjust the pattern to my hubby's measurements and make a pair of fleece leggings for him that stopped at the top of his ski boots, as per his request which only took me a couple of hours!

Simplicity 2764

Well, here is my coat! I like the way it turned out and it was not that hard to sew. It is not the beautiful Burda coat on my storyboard, but has a similar collar line. I liked the retro match of the fabric and the pattern. I added interlining from flannellette, some extra interfacing and a lining from rayon kasha to give it some warmth as the pattern is unlined. You can read the review for the entire coat!

What I have been doing in Jan/February

• I was sick for an entire week, off work with the flu. My 9 year old had it as well. Yuk. But I did manage to sew a fleece pullover and a set of long underwear for a ski trip during this time. Will post reviews later. Oh and also a pair of fleece long underwear for my hubby custom made to only go to the top of his ski boots


• I went thrifting and among the finds were:

- Ladies Tilley Pants (to be cropped off in length for the summer) $7

- Great grey Old Navy waffle hoodie $7

- Boys clothes $10 for the lot: 2 longsleeved Old Navy/Gap t's, 3 pair of chino/khaki's that have various and sundry convertable zips

• Finished a winter coat started before Christmas


• Went skiing for a week at Mount St. Anne in Quebec with 9 other friends. We rent a condo at the base of the hill in February each year and my hubby and I cook for everyone. We go a week where the rental includes free lift tickets and night skiing. Everyone skiis and we generally play cards at night. It's about a 8-9 hour drive but each year we have a blast. And as we do the cooking, others do the cleaning!!

Today I fell in love with a pair of sandals at Payless. They are pictured above, but they are gorgeous deep turquoise and a really nice quality faux-suede. I was lucky enough to be persistant and after I dropped in to a few stores, found my size 11's. Cool! Unfortunately being in Canada, Payless does not ship to stores. Also, the shoes are more money, they are advertised on payless.com for $24.99 and were $39.99 here (but I had a $3 coupon).

At first glance they go with a great Donna Karan dress I made a few years ago and a crossover top and a cute spring sweater my Mom gave me for Christmas.

Hopefully I will be able to post pics/reviews of my long underwear and coat.

Shoe Lust

I love shoes and own quite a few pair. My husband opened up a whole new shoe wardrobe for me when he introduced me to technically specific outdoor shoes. My shoe lust is compounded by the fact that I own gianormous feet (size 12 M) so cute shoes are hard to find. My favourite budget minded sources are e-bay and Payless. The top photo is my favourite sandals that I got last year from Payless (maybe I can convince my sister to order me the pair of the same in bronze for this summer) The second pic is the fabulous sandals given to me by my sister for Christmas. As she lives in Atlanta, if she can find my size/style she can order them to the store nearby. Unfortunately, they don't have that service in Canada!

Sewing progress: currently in the works is my winter coat, Simplicity 2764, view E in a black and white birdseye mystery wool. I sewed the front tucks, cut out a horsehair shoulder sheild and taped the underarm seam to stablilze it tonight. Tomorrow will tackle the back. I want this to be a combination of construction for stability and a quick project, so I'm adding some stablilizers to the coat as well as lining it. Perhaps also adding a little interlining of some polar fleece in the upper back as well