"Hey Mojo"....Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go

I know it isn't half way through the year yet but I've been questioning my "Mojo" and I think a review of my new year's resolution might be in order.  Here it is:

1. Sew 3 projects per month.  They can be anything but I mostly want to focus on garments and even more specifically on knits, pants and even some workout wear.  
2. Run 3 half marathons.
3. Give away my "Penguins on the Beach" pajamas given to me by my dear friend Carolyn.  They are so worn they have to go!  But they're so comfy I don't want to let them go......but I will......this year.....I have all year right?

Well....as painful as it was I gave away the shreds pajamas from my friend Carolyn.  Done!

So far this year, I've run one half marathon (with my daughter, her first, she was incredible and it was so fun I still think about it all the time!)  I still don't have finish line photos but when I do I'll post one.  I don't have any other races in the works and I've been itching to get a run on my calendar.  I'll work on that soon.

At bib pick up

Before the race (please forgive my mime gloves)

Now....about the three sewing projects per month:

January: 5 tops, 2 skirts and a yoga mat

February: 3 pants, Mom's nightie, scarf, drapes for staging (PIF sewing)

March: Mom's top, 2 skirts, t-shirt, scarf

April:  blouse

Hmmm....I think I lost my "mojo" in April what do you think?

It happens.  

Thankfully, we get a new start every day and it's good to remind myself of that.

My Moody Groove Chevron Blouse

Here it is....my Moody Groove Chevron blouse.  This is the first project made from my NY shopping trip fabrics.  I purchased this silk chiffon at Mood Fabrics and I made it up using Simplicity 1915 View E.  I made a couple of design changes including adding elastic in the sleeve and a smocked elastic waistband. 

I used this pattern once before in a silk georgette in a variation of View C and it's one of my most worn pieces.  Here's a pic:

And here's the pattern review I wrote for the first blouse:

Pattern Description:

Simplicity 1915. Misses loose fitting raglan sleeve top. View B with neckline ruffle and modifications.

Pattern Sizing:

Sizes 6-24. I made size 12.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?

Yes, aside from my modifications.

Were the instructions easy to follow?

Yes.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?

I love the style of this pattern. It's feminine and easy to wear.

Fabric Used:

Silk Georgette from Denver Fabrics.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:

I made View B and I "smocked" the bottom of the blouse and sleeves. I used elastic thread in the bobbin and regular thread in the top of my machine and made several rows of stitching just above the hem. This technique worked well because my fabric is very lightweight.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?

Yes. This blouse took a little time to make primarily because the fabric I chose was a little trickier to work with. It was well worth it. I love this blouse.

New York Shopping Trip

Yay!  I made it to NY!  I went on the trip with my husband to see his show and ended up with a couple of extra hours for some fabric shopping (in between eating, art shows, museums, trying to stay warm and more eating).  I walked up and down 37th, 38th and 39th and hit Mood Fabrics.  I picked up (from top to bottom) a beautiful cotton challis, blue cotton lightweight twill stripe, multi stripe stretch shirting (I can never pass up a shirting), embroidered Ralph Lauren cotton voile and a chevron print silk chiffon.  I also bought Mood rulers for all of my students.

While I was in NY, I had the pleasure of meeting a kindred spirit and talented quilter and she suggested several quilt stores.  My husband and I were not too far from City Quilter so we stopped in.  He sat in the "husband chair" with eyes glazed over while I flitted around and found some real treasures.  I'm planning on a quilt for the lavender print, a skirt for the blue and white cotton/linen and pillows for my bed out of the ikat.

In looking at these pictures I see I really had blue on my mind that day!

I've already started sewing.  I'll share soon....

McCall's 6563 - Taming of the Shrew-d Rayon Knit

This one is for my sweet mom.  We went fabric shopping the other day (which we haven't done in years and it was so much fun!) and she picked out this fabric.  I've made McCall's 6563 for her before so I knew the fit would be fine.  She chose a very lightweight rayon knit which, as many of you know, takes a bit of wrangling.  The instructions are well written but I did do a couple of things that helped me tame the fabric:

There is a pivot point on the shoulder seam on the front.  I put a small piece of fusible knit to reinforce the pivot  and then did the stay stitching the pattern calls for.  It helps hold the weight of the drapey neckline and make a cleaner edge.

My serger wanted to EAT UP a single layer of this knit, so when it came time to finish the edge of the cowl neck on my serger, I folded over 1/4" and ran it through.  The two layers of fabric made the finish look smoother without adding bulk.....and kept me sane.

I added ruching to the side of the top to add shape.  I cut a 4" piece of 1/8" elastic and stitch it down on top of the side seam starting at the hem and stretching up 7" (from hem to pin in the upper left corner).  

I used my applique foot and a very narrow zig zag to attach the elastic.  The arrow on my foot made it easy to line up.  In this photo, the elastic is stretched as I'm sewing.

Here's a close up of the outside.

And here's my pattern review:

Simplicity 1696 - I Need to Make a Red Pair

Okay, so it's next to impossible to get a good detailed picture of a black garment (this is my third round of photos) but I'm posting this anyway. I love this pants pattern so in order to better share it with you I need to make a RED pair....don't you agree? Alright...you talked me into it. But until then, I'll give you the "skinny" on my new skinny pants.

I cleaned out my closet and found that, aside from jeans, I had two pair of pants! Yikes. I realize I spend a lot of time in jeans and skirts, but I need pants to put outfits together. No wonder I never have anything to wear. Let's face it, we sewists sew because we love fabric! We see something pretty, buy it, bring it home and make it....practicality aside. But there comes a time when we need to address the basics in our wardrobe. Simplicity 1696 does that.

This is my second Amazing Fit pattern (here's the first) and I don't know why I waited so long. Although approaching a pair of pants can be daunting, this pattern really helps. It comes in sizes 8-22 but in each size you can choose from slim, average or curvy fit based on the difference between your waist and hip measurements. I made a muslin in size 12 average fit (which folks, took less time than it did to find the pattern pieces....a pant muslin is always worth the time) and found I only needed to make an adjustment in the waist. Could it be true?

I added a fly extension to the pant front BEFORE I cut it out so I could use this fantastic zip fly application method. It's really well written but take note, this pant pattern has the fly on the opposite side of the tutorial so you need to mirror what you see in the tutorial. I also added real welt pockets instead of mock like the pattern calls for using this tutorial.

I have since made another pair without front pockets out of a very lightweight stretch denim and I love them even more! My hunt for red stretch denim is currently underway!

Here's my pattern review:

Pattern Description:
Misses' & Miss Petite pants slim pants have fly front, contoured waist band and front slash pockets. Individual pattern pieces included for slim, average and curvy fit.
Pattern Sizing:
Sizes 8-22. I made a 12 in the average fit.
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Yes.
Were the instructions easy to follow?
The instructions were easy to follow and did include some tips for fitting.
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I love the fit. I made a muslin and the only adjustment I had to make was to the waistband and I can't say that's every happened to me before. The construction of the pants allows you to make final adjustments to fitting without having to take everything apart. It also has 1" seam allowances in key fitting areas.
Fabric Used:
I used a black stretch twill that has a comfortable amount of stretch (but I do wish it was a little softer)
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
I added real welt pockets (instead of the mock that the pattern calls for), I added a fly extension directly to the front pattern piece before cutting it out and used a different fly zipper application method (so much easier). More info on my blog if you're interested.
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I'm making a second pair now in a very soft lightweight stretch denim and hope to make a red pair.

The Field Trip Scarf

I took a "field trip" with a couple of students to the fabric store.  I think I enjoyed it much more than they did and of course I picked up some fabric which has now increased my stash!  I wasn't going to do that was I?  Anyway.....while we were there one of my students ran to her car and got a RTW scarf she had and loved and wanted to copy.  Her idea reminded me of a RTW scarf at my house that I love but would never wear because of the color.  I purchased one yard of fabric ($2.98 on a flat fold probably a rayon/poly mash up of some sort), pulled out the inspiration scarf and measured it and in about 30 minutes I had a cute scarf.  Infinity scarf tutorials are everywhere on the web but here is a quick overview of what I did:

Purchase 1 yard of 56"-60" wide knit fabric.

Cut fabric 34" by width of fabric (my fabric was 58" after I cleaned up the selvages).

Fold fabric in half lengthwise, right sides together, and pin.

Change machine stitch to either stretch stitch (it looks like a jagged line) or a narrow zigzag to create a seam that stretches.  1.5 stitch width and 2.0 stitch length worked great on this fabric and my machine.  (Isn't my machine cute?....She's smiling for the picture!)

Change machine needle to a ball point or jersey needle.  This will help prevent skipped stitches and runs.  It is difficult to differentiate between the regular and ball point when they are out of the package so I put nail polish on all of the ball point needles.  This makes it so much easier to find the right needle in my sewing drawer especially if the needle jumps out of the proper package as mine often do. 

Sew the lengthwise seam using a 1/2" seam allowance.  Turn right side out.  Match seams from the opposite ends of the scarf "tube" (right sides together) and pin around the open ends of the scarf as far as possible (you'll need to leave a few inches open but we will close it next).  Stitch.

Put open ends together, folding seam allowances in, and straight stitch close to the edge of the fold (you can also close this by hand with a slip stitch if you prefer).  

Here's my inspiration scarf (I love it but I can't wear orange).

And here's my pretty scarf.  I love it and I can wear pink!

Simplicity 1717

This pattern just came out and I almost didn't buy it because I have so many others that are similar.  But I have a thing for aline skirts so I got crazy and busted out the .99 cents for it (on sale at Joann's).  Turns out it was a very good investment.  This skirt pattern is great!  Believe it or not this is the first time I've used an Amazing Fit pattern from Simplicity and it really does have some nice features including drawings and instructions on how to solve common fitting problems and a 1" seam allowance on the side seam of the skirt which is sewn in last so any final fitting adjustments can be made easily.  I made my "muslin" out of some black cord from my stash and it turned out nice enough to wear but I really wanted to use this Italian silk suiting I've had in my stash for a while.  This suiting has a beautiful drape so it was perfect for the aline.  I added piping to the yoke and lined the skirt and I made sure the waistband hit me at the waist and not 1" below the waist like the pattern calls for.  I think it's more flattering and so does Ann Taylor Loft apparently (they have some cute new skirts for inspiration if you want to check them out and they recommend the same waist fit too).

Here's my review on Pattern Review:

Pattern Description: 

Misses' A-line skirt in three lengths with individual pieces given for slim, average and curvy fit. includes customized fitting instructions.

Pattern Sizing:
Sizes 6-22. I made a 12.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Yes.

Were the instructions easy to follow?
Yes. Great fitting advice is included.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?The instructions have you sew the side sew up last so it's easy to make any final fitting adjustments. Make a note: it has a 1" seam allowance on the side seam.

Fabric Used:Silk suiting from my stash.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:I added piping to the yoke and lined the skirt. I also made it fit at the waist instead of 1" below the waist like it calls for. I think it's more flattering with an aline.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?Yes! It's a great beginning project but it's also nice as a wardrobe builder.

Conclusion: I'm sure I'll be making this again for the summer.