Reclaiming Red + Green

I did some reading in color theory last fall, and I was surprised to see red + green mentioned as complementary colors for creating color combos. This combination is associated so strongly with a certain holiday, that it's hard to see how it could work. It's been in my head these last few months as a kind of personal challenge: Can I make this work in every day life without looking like a Christmas ornament?

I think I did it! As I mentioned in my last post about my new FAVORITE red skirt (review of pattern here), I had some jade jersey I planned to use to make a top. I wanted something fairly simple that wouldn't steal thunder from the pleating in the skirt AND something that I could whip up quickly since I was impatient to try it out. I used my deep cowl top pattern (tutorial here).

So the color isn't strictly green, more of a jade with more green than blue in the mix. It's a lovely matte jersey that I purchased at least a year ago (and maybe two) from GorgeousFabrics.com, so it's probably long gone. The skirt fabric is also from GF, a rayon doubleknit.

I'm going to count this experiment as a success! Have you tried experimenting with unusual color combos? How did it work out??

Almost the same: Jalie 2921 Scarf Top

I've made this top before, with this fabric (different color).

I know a good combo when I see one.

The pattern is Jalie 2921, which I made into a top and a dress earlier in the year. This time I'm back to the top version, and the only change I made this time was to shorten the ties by 5 inches. I like this change so much that my earlier versions may get the chop.

Since I can't tie a bow, I have to leave the ties long, and I find that they just get in the way. I'm constantly getting them wet while I'm doing dishes or washing the girls hair, and I've almost cut them off more than once while sewing.

The fabric is the Uber Soft Rayon Blend Jersey from GorgeousFabrics.com. She's all out of the peacock, but there's still some magenta (same as my first top) and army green. This stuff is amazingly soft - it makes me want to hug myself!

Almost Fall Easy Summer Dress

Remember when I said I had an idea for taking my copy of the summer RTW dress and making it with jersey? A couple of weeks ago I pulled it off, and I love how it turned out!

This is me, attempting an Oona-esque shot.

I used the skirt from the Easy Summer Dress, and then adapted my Wendy Mullin Sew U Home Stretch bodice by turning it into a deep V-neck. With the right bra, this neckline is a bit dangerous (mrow).

That's right, I'm dangerous. Watch out.

 The fabric is from GorgeousFabrics.com, but it is sadly out of stock. It's a thick, slightly sweatery jersey and I fell for the colors (more magenta, please). I hope it can be a good transition dress as it's starting to cool off here in the Midwest. As I was cutting it out, I got really excited about the stripey action in the selvedge. I wanted to use it somehow (hem? neck? create some kind of cording?) and finally decided to use it to bind the sleeves and neck. I wasn't sure how this would work as it had ZERO stretch, but I like the way it turned out.

Button is covering the joint.

So not much more to say about this one, except that my Sew U Home Stretch book has certainly turned into a good investment. It's my go-to whenever I want to create something new with knit/jersey. What about you? What are starting to sew for fall?

I'll leave you with my figurehead shot. I'm a ship!

STITCH Magazine, Spring 2014

Hey, I'm in a magazine!

Stitch Spring 2014 - see here

Here I am!  

Can you see the "Designed By Lisa Polderman"?

Well, not ME - that's a model.  But she's wearing my skirt!

The hardest part of this knit/jersey skirt was cutting and sewing the chevron fabric so that the chevrons matched up across the pleats (especially when the print wasn't quite on grain):

There's a number of lovely projects in this magazine.  The one I'm most excited about making (apart from my own!) is this interesting chevron pencil skirt designed by Tina Lewis:

If you want to buy a copy, Stitch is available at Joann's Fabrics and some independent sewing stores (but not my local Hancock Fabrics, grr-blah) as well as online.

On the Importance of Stretch

I made this top up a couple of weeks ago but had to wait to finish it because my coverstitch/serger was in the shop. One of the air threading tubes got clogged. I tried my best to clear it on my own but in the end I had to pay for a service. I don't like being thwarted by the machines . . .

I found this wool jersey at the Great Textile Discount Outlet when I went there last fall with Gail.  On a previous visit I found a teal version of this stuff, and was so excited to see it in this raspberry/violet color. You may have noticed that I have a thing for jewel tones, especially those in the magenta-fuchsia-raspberry-purple family. I love that family.

I was going to buy 2 yards of the stuff until I heard the price, "Did you say $2.95/yard?!? Then I'll take 5 yards, kind sir!"

Since I have 5 YARDS of this, I decided I could afford to whip up a quick long-sleeve version of my peplum top (drafted using bodice from Sew U Home Stretch plus slash/spread of skirt - see here for the first couple versions of this top and the steps for how I did it).  What I didn't take into consideration was that this fabric has some crosswise stretch but NO (zip zero nada nothin') lengthwise stretch.  When I first tried on the bodice (before adding the peplum) it was silly short.  Empire waist short.  So I decided this version would have a bodice band and I cut a 2.5" wide rectangle and slapped a double layer of it between the bodice and peplum. Why a double layer? I'm not sure, it just seemed like the right thing to do.

Then the sleeves ended just where I wanted, leaving nothing to hem.  (They were also a tad tight, but with a 1/4" seam allowance, there was no fixing that.) I thought about leaving the sleeves raw or doing an explosed serged/roll hem stitch.  But in the end, I went for binding the sleeves just as I did the neck (1.5" wide bias strip). I've been wanting to experiment with using the coverstitch function on my serger to finish the neck binding, and so I tried out two different versions on this top.  Stitching on both sides of seam:

And below the seam:

I think I like the stitches best when they straddle the seam line of the binding.

And now for a little accessorizing show:

Zebra belt - thrift store find

With necklace - see below for info

Infinity scarf made from leftovers from the wrap dress -
will probably end up in my Etsy shop

So the necklace is something I bartered for with my friend Julie.  She is an artist, and she makes art tile necklaces from images of her art.  You can see more of her work in her Etsy Shop - JulieFreeneyDesigns.  I love this necklace and I was so glad she asked me to hem a tablecloth for her!  (I think I got the better end of this deal.)

Lesson learned about stretch!!

Jalie 2921 - Top to Dress

I was very pleased with this dress when I first finished it, but now I'm not so sure.

I love the fabric - Italian Rayon Double Knit in Rhumba red from GorgeousFabrics.com.  It feels great, nice stretch and recovery, and a beautiful deep red color.  My regret is that I didn't make the skirt more flared when I did the whole slash and spread.

I was going for the Lady Skater look but with the Jalie 2921 top, but I kinda skimped on the spread, I think. It's wearable, but when I make this again I think I'll use a 1/2 or 3/4 circle for the skirt to give myself more twirl.

Meh twirl

So here's how I hacked the Jalie 2921 pattern to make the dress:

First, after making the magenta top, I figured out where I wanted the waist to be and then measured down from the bottom of the armscye to know where to mark on the pattern.  I then copied this onto a separate sheet of pattern paper and added an extra 3/8 in the side seams (the double knit wasn't as stretchy as the magenta fabric, but I didn't actually need it - I ended up taking the top back in once I tried it on).

Back

Front

Close up of front

I took my trusty Sew U Home Stretch skirt and made a copy of the front and back.  I then added four lines for spreading (so five sections total) onto the copy.

I then cut up the lines leaving 1/4" intact near the waist.  I spread each section 1 1/4 inches apart and then taped the sections in place on my cutting mat.

I placed a new sheet of paper over the top and traced out the new pattern.

And then I sewed up the bodice and the skirt and joined them at the waist.

It's fine, just not quite my vision.  Luckily, I've got enough knit fabric in my stash to try again!!

And I include these photos just for fun.  I've been experimenting with taking pictures while I'm moving (I set my camera to take five photos on the self-timer) because a good friend told me I look better in motion.  This has given me some better shots, but also some really silly ones!

Invisible hands!

Not sure what I was going for with this look . . .

Next week I'll have the Vogue 8379 wrap dress to show you that I made for a client.  I like it so much that now I want one for myself!

Another Variation on the Simplicity 2580/New Look 0172 Hybrid

Oh yes I did.  I made another variation on my favorite pattern combo, that sweet marriage of Simplicity 2580 and New Look 0172.  I was feeling a bit down this weekend and hadn't sewn for myself in a while, and this was just the fix I needed to get some mojo back.

By the way, I can't find a picture of this New Look pattern anywhere online - it's like it doesn't really exist.  I found mine on a sale rack at Hancock's and it could have been sitting there a good long time.  I don't think I ever wrote about the straight-up version of this I made for myself, so here it is:

I don't really like how the pattern calls for just a thin piece of elastic in back, so when I made this for a client, I created a back band and that's the way I've made this pattern ever since.

But back to my new dress.  This time I lengthened the Simplicity 2580 bodice by three inches so that the front/back band would end up around my natural waist.  I also shortened the skirt by the same amount (from the top).  I experimented with a different back alteration to combat my ongoing upper back/lower neck gaping, and I think it worked.  This time I did a high round back alteration which was a bit counter-intuitive, but I think it might be right and, since it's an easy alteration to make, it could become my go-to.  Here's what the pattern pieces looked like after all my futzing around:



Back bodice with 3 inches added to length.



Close up of high round back alteration.  I added a center back seam and then
curved it more at the top after trying it on mid-construction.



3 inches folded up on skirt

I used the band from New Look 0172 for the waist (when folded in half, the band has ruching on one side and is flat on the other).  And voila!

The fabric is an ITY from GorgeousFabrics.com (big surprise, huh??) and it's called Evening Windows.  It actually has some sparkle in it that you can't see in this picture.  I've had it in my stash since last summer so it is, alas, no longer available.  I love these colors!

It's a little hard to see because I forgot to move my hair out of the way, but the top has a cowl neck:

And check out the upper back!  No gaps!

 

 

I don't know if you can see it very well, but on the back of my left arm there's a faint scar line.  This is from a sewing injury.  I was sewing on the machine and reached behind myself without looking to grab something.  Unfortunately I had left my iron facing the wrong way and I seared my arm.  Mmmm yum, BBQ-ed Lisa.  Anyone else have a good story about a sewing-related injury?

 

UPDATE: You can find more info on the New Look pattern and a picture of my hack back band here.

 

Garnet Hill Knock-off

Remember a few weeks ago when I tackled a Garnet Hill knock-off only to be distracted into making a couple of different tops?  Well, I finally came back to the original project this week.  This is the dress I wanted to copy:



Garnet Hill Athena Knit Dress

(And, by the way, I see that the dress is now on sale in the larger sizes, should be you want to just buy one, but what's the fun in that?!)

It took another three tries to get that drapey thing under the midriff band, but I think I finally got it right:



Yes, I really am trying to pose like the Garnet Hill model without going out in the cold!

 I think I want to play around a bit more with the proportions - I think the bodice needs to come down another 1/2" to 1" and the midriff band could be a big less wide - but overall, I think it's quite close!

I used the bodice and midriff band from Cake's Tiramisu pattern, the skirt from Sew U Home Stretch, and did some playing around with rectangles of fabric until I got the draped piece the way I wanted.  Is there such a thing as floor draping (as opposed to draping on a dress form)?  If not, well then I just invented it.  Now I just need a name for it because "floor draping" doesn't sound very professional.  Zero-Gravity Draping?  Flat Draping?

The fabric was part of my birthday haul from GorgeousFabrics.com and it is lovely.  I have enough for something else . . . another 2580/0172 combo?

I got motivated when I realized that Pattern Review was having a competition to replicate a RTW item, so I finished it just in time to enter it in the contest.  If you are a member, you should go vote for someone - there are some impressive garments in the competition!

2013: Some Numbers and Favorites

I've really enjoyed reading all of the 2012 review posts around sewing blogland.  I particularly enjoyed Liza Jane's fancy excel charts and Ginger Makes' Top 5 Posts (and I know these ladies got the ideas from elsewhere, but I found the ideas because of them).  I'm still a bit exhausted from my end of the year sewing marathon, so this is just a half-a**ed version of what these ladies have done in full.

A pie chart!

I completed a grand total of 145 sewing projects this year.  This includes

• 89 garments (22 for myself, 8 as gifts, and 59 for clients)
• 24 handbags and wallets (2 for me, the rest for clients/Etsy shop)
• 20 random projects (scarves, flower pins, softies - I think I kept two of these)
• 10 alterations or refashions (2 for me, rest for clients)
• 2 things for the home (mine all mine!)

I have no idea how many hours that is, but I since I usually sew around 20-25 hours a week, I think it's a lot of time spent with fabric, needle, and thread.

When I think about my favorites, they usually involve learning something new.

1) Corsetted Pencil Skirt - I based this design on an Ann Taylor skirt and it was fun figuring out how to do it.  I also wear my personal skirt A LOT.

2) Flower Button Coat - my first coat, and while I know it has problems, I'll always love it because it was my first.

3) Gertie pencil skirt - I made four of these this fall, two with boning and two without (I still need to take pictures of one of the skirts and write about my experience with the pattern).

4) Beginning to sew with jersey/knit fabric - I love it and look forward to improving this year

5) Camp Runway - I loved this week and can't wait to work with more young sewists this summer!

I've got some specific things I really want to make in 2013, but mostly I just look forward to more time with fabric, needle, and thread, more teaching, and reading about all the lovely things that my fellow sewing bloggers create!