Flirty Forties Plaid, or is it Buffalo Check?

At a pattern swap a few years ago, I spotted this wonderful rayon fabric.  The colors are right up my alley, and as you see, the yardage came home with me.

The only real issue with the textile was that it was very lightweight.  Also, the top that I imaged making with such a fabric was going to need a skirt to match.  Since I don't have a whole lot of solids in my existing wardrobe, the project stalled.

Turns out, that was a good thing!  Because somewhere along the line, I decided that this fabric had to be a dress, even if there was not very much yardage to play with.

Enter, Butterick 6380.  The pattern requires very little in the way of fabric, and I thought the print would look great with a 1940s themed silhouette.

I always have an idea of how I am going to style a dress while I am stitching it together.  For this particular project, I had a different idea about shoes until I realized that I had the perfect pink pumps in my wardrobe.  Maybe that's a sign I have too many?  But that can't possibly be true!

I really do love the way this frock turned out.  If I had to pick something out that bothers me slightly, it would be that the tabs that pull the neckline open creates a little bit of pull on the sleeves, which in turn, loses some mobility through the sleeves.  There might be a way of moving that tab up or down to improve the movement allowed, but it may just be a function of the design.

But other than that (and it's really not very noticeable unless I need to grab something off of a high shelf, etc.) it's a wonderful dress pattern.

I haven't yet found a fabric to make another version, but I plan to at some point.  The fact that the pattern requires less than 2 yards of 60" wide fabric is AMAZING!  It calls for a full lining, meaning that another 2 yards is required in lining fabric, however, with a fabric of suitable weight, that wouldn't be necessary.

But it's going to be difficult to beat this one.  And a big part of why is that the color combo is so fabulous.

I am currently knitting away on a bright pink sweater, so something about the color pink is drawing me in lately.  Then again, pink always has been and probably always will be a favorite, especially paired with blue. 

Dress:  Made by me, Butterick 6380
Shoes:  Remix "Babydoll"

Petal Pink

If you are a knitter, you have probably come across this wonderfully whimsical design.  Kate Davies Designs published the pattern in 2010, and I suspect I found it soon thereafter.  I remember being very excited about casting on, but I didn't have the proper circular needles, and I am not usually a fan of bulky yarn so I had nothing in the stash that was suitable.

And then there was a decision to be made about color.  Should I go for something neutral and in a palette that is owl appropriate?  

I will say that I almost never use suggested yarns for knitting patterns.  In my early knitting days, it was a lack of access, I suppose, and with vintage patterns, the yarn is often no longer produced and/or very difficult to find.  For the vast majority of my knit projects, I simply find a similar weighted yarn in a color that I like, and make it work.

But for some reason, with this pattern, I went looking for one of the suggested yarns: in this case, Rowan Cocoon.  I found it for a great price, and I decided that pink owls would be lovely, whether or not they exist in nature!

I had my needles and my yarn, but for whatever reason, I never got started on the project until November 2019.

After finally casting on, the sweater was completed very quickly.  It's amazing how little time it takes to knit up a bulky weight yarn!

I definitely prefer working with lighter weight wool, but how could I resist these little owls!

There was always a question of whether or not I would add buttons for eyes.  In the end, I decided against it, preferring that the little creatures be a little more challenging to find.

And that just left weaving in a few ends.

Here are the little guys prior to a wash/blocking.

And after a gentle bath . . .

Here is the completed sweater.

I finally wore the sweater and took some pictures.  The only real issue is the yarn.  I paired this with a black wool skirt, and boy does that mohair fuzz get everywhere!!  I am used to having Tino fur hang around my wool clothing, but this is a whole new level of fuzz transfer.  I may just have to find a tweedy wool to make a skirt that won't show the pink mohair quite so well!

Bright Pink Dye

This is another one of those projects that I pulled out when Covid first shut everything down and I thought I should put some effort into working with what I had on hand (and also finishing things that were abandoned somewhere along the way).

Back in 2016, I was a tester for the Ivy Pinafore from Jennifer Lauren Handmade.  I got around to finishing and taking photos of the flared version, and I also tested the fit on the slimmer version, but never actually completed the garment.  I got close, but it needed buttonholes and a hem before the garment was wearable.

When I first saw the pattern and went looking for fabric, this high contrast print caught my eye.  I was in the middle of a dyeing frenzy that year, and I remembered this blouse.  I was curious to see how overdyeing a print would work, and so I used the same bright pink fiber reactive dye on my print.  The color did darken the blue more than expected, but I was pretty pleased with how it all turned out.  [I loved the fabric so much I went back and purchased more, which I used in its original state for one of my favorite Donna Karan patterns.]

The pattern went together easily, but as I mentioned, the jumper still needed buttonholes.  But first, I had to find a pair of buttons that I liked.  And miraculously, I found a perfect match in my button stash!

The dress also needed a hem, which was a quick thing to accomplish.

And that's another UFO completed!

Which means I need to find a matching pair of tights, and she's ready to wear.

2020, A Year in Review

I am tempted to say good riddance to the whole of 2020, but looking back, it wasn't a terrible year as far as my creativity goes.  And this includes plenty of moments when I thought I was being incredibly unproductive and feeling rather down about it.  And yes, I have seen all of the memes out there letting people know that they shouldn't be hard on themselves because the year was difficult for everyone.  But I require creativity in my life in some form; it is directly related to how I am feeling.  And if I am being productive in my creative pursuits, there is a really good chance that I am doing just fine.

Claire McCardell / Vogue 2475
Simplicity 3846 / Vogue 8685

Some of these projects were technically completed in another calendar year, and I did finish other projects in 2020 that were never photographed.  But for these purposes, I don't consider a project well and truly finished until it's posted to the blog.  Those are my rules!

Ronne Blouse / McCalls 7974
1940s Style Sweater & Simplicity 8019 / Butterick 6637

One of my intentions once the plague hit was that I would finish in progress projects that I had stashed away, and do my best to use what I had on hand.  The County I live in was pretty closed down for a few months, with retail shops shuttered.  And I actually managed to finish quite a few abandoned items that lived in pieces for years, and rediscover bits of haberdashery that I had forgotten all about.  Which is excellent!

McCalls 7929 & Simplicity 1166 / McCalls 5593 & McCalls 7974
Vogue 1696 / Simplicity 8248

I also went back to basics and rediscovered cross stitch.  I learned how to sew stitching cross stitch kits when I was four or five years old, and for many years it was my favorite type of hand sewing, but I hadn't touched the craft at all for almost twenty years.  I also finished two quilt tops, and even managed to start quilting on one of them!  I feel like an amateur, which is humbling, but I am determined that this form of hand sewing will become as enjoyable as the others are for me.

Vogue 8772 & McCall 8358 / McCalls 7370
Butterick 6412 / Simplicity 8445 & Simplicity 4070

So what are my sewing plans for 2021?  I have no idea.  That quilt project is something I would like to stick with and maybe even finish by next Winter.  And I do miss my super involved dress projects, so maybe I will have to come up with an over the top gown, just for fun.  But for the moment, I am really drawn to knitting.  Maybe it's the weather, or perhaps it's the meditative quality?  But whatever 2021 brings, I am looking forward, and hoping for the best.  Happy New Year, everyone!

Cross Stitch / Crochet / Quilting

Some Preppy Snowmen

My annual Christmas themed project is always a highlight of the year.  I actually came up with the idea for this one last year, so I had an entire year to think about it!

And as many of you guessed from the construction post, the element missing on my dress was a tie.  (This was one of the main reasons I finally constructed my first collar stand!)  The tie itself belonged to my Grandfather or Uncle; I have quite a few of their ties.  Unfortunately, most of them are 1970s polyester, but I found myself drawn to this one.  It's not in the best of condition, but it works well with my dress print, so I made it work.

I have worn ties before with a regular old fold over collar, and it's manageable, but there is a reason men's dress shirts have one.  The stand allows for the tie to sit properly, while not bunching the actual collar.

I thought about adding a bound buttonhole to the collar stand since all of the other buttonholes are made that way, but honestly, I forgot my intention until I had completely edge-stitched around the whole thing.  Whoops.  I was so busy following instructions on an unfamiliar technique that I missed the change I wanted to make. 

But maybe my subconscious was onto something.  The buttons that I used for the dress have a built in shank and are rather large to use under a tie.  But they worked so perfectly with the snowman print, I had to use them.

In the end, I used a hook and stitched a thread loop on the opposite side to keep the collar shut.  That hook did come undone as I was knotting the tie around my neck.  That could be that I don't have a lot of experience with tying a tie, but it's probably more likely that I should have used a snap.  This is certainly an easy fix, although I am terrible at completing alterations to already finished garments.  Someday I will go back and change the closure.  Maybe.

I knew that I wanted a belt for this dress.  The only question was, do I use a contrast or not?

I decided that with a contrasting tie, a contrasting belt might be too much.  And, I might as well make the matching belt to have on hand.  I can alway use a different one, but if I don't make myself a belt while I am making the dress, it's never going to happen.

Looking at the photos, I think the self-fabric belt works quite nicely.

I was reminded that snowmen are not specifically Christmas themed, more of a Winter Wonderland sort of thing.  So theoretically, this frock could be worn outside of December, although I will probably always think of it as a Christmas project.  Or perhaps those sleeves will haunt me, and the dress will get another wear in the month of January!  (Did I mention how much I love the sleeves?!?)

Dress & Belt:  Made by me, Vogue 8772/McCall 8358
Tie:  Vintage
Shoes: Remix "Babydoll"
Earrings:  Gift