Some finished items

WAY past due LOL but here, finally are the finished BWOF 04-2009-119 pants. These were started back in November (or was it October?). Anyhoo, I fit and adjusted a muslin 3 times and after all that, these pants don't fit ! Smiles in the front, and extremely snug in the back and over the front of the thighs. Actually, the picture looks fine - I just can't sit down :-)

I've asked for a bit of help over on PR and while I had already done some of the suggestions, I did not give myself 1" seam allowances and also did not allow that the muslin may have stretched during the fitting process.

So for my next pair I'll recheck the measurements, both me and the pattern, give 1" SA's AND use a stretch fabric.



Since I'd started these as part of my 2009 Wardrobe I added this pic to that album. Wardrobe Pics

This week I also finished my third pattern from Wendy Johnson's Socks from the Toe Up (SFTTU) - Diagonal Lace. I really love the orange.


A few more sock pics here

Next up -

Sewing - adjust the pattern and start another 04-2009-119 pants. I have 2 pieces of stretch bottomweight fabric I picked up off the discount wall at Fabricville a while back - They were about $1.50/m & I ended up with 5 meters. I 'could' get 2 pants and a skirt from them.

Knitting - I cast on the Skew Socks this morning in a pink/white/grey yarn I picked up in Toronto last summer. It has quite a wide striping, so the sock doesn't have the look I was expecting but I think I'm going to like the finished pattern - I just hope they fit. The pattern is for a size or so smaller than me so I went up 2 needle sizes and crossed my fingers. I put off starting this project because I couldn't make heads or tails of the pattern while reading it and thought it would require sitting still and only concentrating on it and so it would be only doable at home. Well, the pattern is broken down into manageable sections and I'm now on the foot, a 2 row pattern repeat for another 4 inches or so. These will travel with me after all :-) They will also be finished one at a time - I didn't want to attempt mirror image, diagonal patterned socks 2 at a time !
Have a good week everybody...

BWOF 04-2009-119 - A Muslin

Let me start by saying - NEVER, EVER, EVER in a million years would I ever have expected to ask my husband to take picture of my butt and THEN - POST THEM ONLINE !


My pants for the PR Wardrobe required a muslin. I haven't made pants in about 15 years and those were before I knew anything about fitting !

My muslin fabric was at the end (that's the explanation for the short front legs LOL) so this is one pattern tweaked a couple of times rather than cutting a new full pair of pants each time.

I started with a straight 42, no changes.
The front seems fine. My left side has a long vertical wrinkle that I didn't notice right away. The back - I need a swayback adj & there are those darn wrinkles under the butt ! Side seams and grainlines (very light pink chalk line, sorry) are straight.


I logged on to PR and spent quite some time searching and reading up on pants fitting - Woo Boy ! If you ever think you're the only one with a certain problem, just check PR - we have lots of company. It took a while, but I figure at least some of these wrinkles tell me I've got a flat butt.

In the first pic below, I made a 1/2" swayback adj and sewed the back crotch 1/4" deeper. The next 2 pics show what happens if I pull up the back and if I bend forward a bit. According to the forums, that means I should need either Debbie Cook's Fish Eye Dart or Ann Rowley's Flat Butt Adjusment.


Test #2 - Hoping this would allow some of those outside wrinkles fall, I let out each outside seam 1/2" at the waist tapering to nothing about 9" down. On the back left leg, I opened up the inseam a bit and basted out a 1/2" wedge tapering to 0" at the side seam. It helped some, but there is still wrinkling and there is alot of fabric at the top of the inseam. Back to the boards and the fitting books.


Test #3 - Maybe a size smaller at the back inseam would help. I opened out the crotch seam and each inseam down about 30cm. I folded out the 1/2" wedge across the right back leg to match the left leg. I took in 5/8" of each back inseam tapering out to the original side seam a bit before the 30cm mark.
Hmm, looking straight at the back, they look better. The side views, though, still show the fabric bunching just under the butt.


Now, not all the wrinkles are gone, but they feel like they fit well and would be wearable. I have no more muslin to try again. So, I'm going to cross my fingers and cut my fabric.


Parting Shot

This was my morning activity - one more type of cookie in the freezer.
Is it just me or does this NOT look like 28 dozen cookies ?!
Those stacks are all 4-high and thats what I counted but boy, they don't take up alot of space, do they ?

Spritz Cookies

Reviews are up

It took forever, but I finally finished the May 2009 Mini Wardrobe.

I didn't think I'd ever finish the silly blouse.

BWOF 02-2009-125


This is what I wore to work today. The blouse, along with BWOF 07-2008-113, piece #3 for the PR Wardrobe Contest. Quite a few people commented on the blouse. It took so long to make that before I was done it, I didn't like it. I forced myself to finish it. By the end of today, though, I liked it again. It's not as dark as I feared and it fit really comfortably throughout the day.


Here's a closer view of the button placket. Thanks to everyone who voted in my poll. The large dark buttons won, but I also had the same buttons a bit smaller. Not quite as small as little shirt buttons. The smaller version seemed to sit better on the placket. I put 2 buttons on each sleeve band instead of one.



The PR review is here : and a link to more pics.

I also managed to finish and post the review for BWOF 07-2008-113


The PR review is here - and the link to the pics - but I just have to post one here. Check out that zipper ! I know, I know, it takes so little to amuse me and make me happy :-) LOL



DH was out bowling tonight. My plan was to upload and edit the pics, make this post, edit & post the PR reviews and cut out a muslin for my next wardrobe garment (one of the pairs of pants)

Nope, didn't get anywhere near the muslin ;-) - now it's bedtime.

My first Invisible Zip !

Today was not a very productive day sewing-wise. I only came into the sewing room about 9pm. Honestly, I've been putting it off because the next step in my skirt is the zipper. The pattern calls for an invisible zipper (never done one before) - I'd decided to do it when I realized that I actually own an invisible zipper foot ! oh, and I had one black invisible zip in the stash. Handy, huh ?

My Singer HD110 came with a pile of presser feet. Only the zigzag and buttonhole feet have been used & I had at least one that I had no idea what it was. Browsing through the sewing machine reviews on PR recently, TigerEyess posted that this machine has the 'world's best invisible zipper foot". Hmm, I dug out my accessories for the machine and proceeded to decipher the feet. Yup, got one. :-)

Tonight I serged the edges of the skirt front & back (this stuff is really ravely !), put a strip of interfacing along the seams where the zip will go, took a deep breath and ....

basted the first side on...


and then the second side...

AND - looky here !!!!!




I got so excited, I had to take a picture and post it. LOL

I kinda can't believe it worked - I hope it still does once it's all put together and the lining & facings are attached.

PR Wardrobe - Tops #2 & #3

I'm off to New Brunswick again tomorrow...Mom took a fall and broke her hip...finally had surgery after 3 days of waiting. So far, all is ok. I think my sisters are probably ready for a break though, so I'm taking my knitting (Air Canada says needles are ok, we'll see) and spending the next 3-4 days sitting in the hospital.

But before I go, I have FINISHED OBJECTS to show !!!!!

The storyboard changed yet again...I made 2 BWOF 04-2009-112 tops instead of one.




Now, before you click on any of these pictures and scare yourself - in my defence, I'm sewing today in my comfy yoga pants and a VERY loose & oversized tee. The yoga pants do nothing to hold in the tummy !

I was in a rush to get these pics done and only had DH take one of each for me so I could do this post.

I made and reviewed this top before - this time I just changed up the necklines and the sleeve cuffs.

Since they're for the Wardrobe contest I did have to update my previous review. You can follow the link to the PR review on the sidebar.

PR Wardrobe - Revised Storyboard

Edit for Faye - For my first couple of storyboards I used 'Paint', this time I used Sigrid's Powerpoint Storyboard Tutorial - it worked great !


I've made a change already. Top #2 on the storyboard has been changed from a no-sleeve t-shirt (WHAT was I thinking ???) to a new version of 04-2009-112, same blue knit.

I made a straight 42 with a few changes. Raised the neck 1", lengthened the body 1-1/2", lengthened the sleeves 2" and did not add the cuffs.

It's a regular, plain t-shirt.

Almost done, I did the neck binding tonight. All that's left is the hemming (sleeves & hem). No pictures til the weekend.

PR Wardrobe - Storyboard

A quick update to add a picture of the completed baby afghan - this is baby-sized, much smaller than I usually make. I like to make them big enough to move onto their beds once the babies have outgrown the crib.


I flitted around 6 or 7 different things on the 'to-do' list this weekend and didn't manage to finish the blouse yet - working on the collar now.

I did finish a baby afghan for a friend - which also takes a UFO off my list :-), or it will once I weave in the two ends and take the picture to post.


LOL - only as I was editing the picture to post, did I realize Alex snuck into the bottom of the picture :-)

Today was spent on my storyboard for the PR Wardrobe Contest. The fabrics were decided last weekend. This morning I dragged out all of my patterns and my BWOFs and started juggling them around.

Here is the result**



Three weeks ago, I started a new job in my company. It's temporary and I'll go back to my own desk in about 18 months but, hey, it's a good excuse for a new wardrobe !

** all subject to change of course :-)

FO's ! and a plan

I didn't (and won't) finish my 3 objectives this weekend, but I did get some things done and already know I'm going to ramble on - this is either going to be very long or I'll split it into multiple posts. (update - it's really long)

Let's go...

1) Update on J's sundresses

J loved her sundresses and it finally got warm enough for her to wear them sometime in August ! Mommy sent me some pics mid-month.

She's a sweetie pie - I'm glad she liked them :-)



2) Socks - objective 1, complete

Wendy Johnson's, Toe Up Socks with a Difference - Blue Bamboo

The 'difference' is the gusset is on the bottom of the foot rather than up each side. The stockinette stitch was too plain so when I started these for the 2nd time, I added a k2p2 pattern.

These were finished before we went on vacation at the beginning of August but the first one I cast off was way too tight. They were put aside until I could figure out how to do a stretchy-enough bind off.

Last week, I was on the bus and plugged into the 'ole IPod ! Lo and behold the most current Lets Knit 2gether podcast that I hadn't yet listened to (I'm way behind) was about binding off toe up socks - how freaky is that ?

So, my credit for finishing these socks is two-fold - 1) for Cat for the podcast and 2) for Peggy of socknitters.com for her stretchy bind off for toe up socks tutorial which was the one I used.

Now they fit and the bamboo is so soft, I can't wait to wear them !





3) Socks (SFTTU) - objective 2, complete

I bought a copy of Wendy Johnson's, Socks from the Toe Up (from now on SFTTU) -
this is a good link with a blurb of the contents of the book. This isn't where I bought it, but I thought it'd be better to post a link rather than copy/paste anything from the book

There are 23 patterns in this book, which include 3 'plain vanilla' patterns you can use to get started or change the toe/gusset/heel to your own preference or just to use if your yarn is too busy for a pattern.

I couldn't decide which one to start with. I like ALL of them. So, the decision was to start at the beginning and make them all, one at a time (yeah, then I started seeing commercials for 'Julie & Julia' LOL )

I cast on the first pair (Dead Simple Lace Socks) in the car about 15 minutes after we left on vacation, Aug 2 - I finished them today - never said I was quick. My swatch was fine but the end socks seem to be just a tad snug. They feel ok but the pattern is stretched more on me than on the picture in the book. S'ok, I'll wear them, but maybe size up the needle for the next pair.





4) May Mini Wardrobe - BWOF 02-2009-125 - objective 3, not completed :-(

This blouse is still not done. Progress has been made since my last update about it. The fronts, back & sleeves have been sewn together, the cuffs are on the sleeves, it's hemmed.

The front placket is pressed, needs to be stitched down and buttonholes added.
The collar needs to be done.

Not much, but could take forever ! I'm working on it.
The problem is, when I bought the fabric I saw the blue in it and really likd it. Now, all I see is the black and don't like it as well as I thought I would. Maybe once it's done, it'll grow on me.

Here it is as it sits waiting for me to get back to it.



I MUST get this shirt done, because................

5) PR Wardrobe Contest - I really want to do this, but I have to get the shirt finished or I never will.

The requirement for the contest are:
- 5 tops
- 4 bottoms
- 1 topper

Rules - one fabric must be a print, all tops must go with all bottoms, topper must go with everything

Timeline - Sep 1 to Nov 30

This afternoon I went through the collection, pulled a bunch out and took them out to the deck to match up. (I'm going to miss the deck once it gets too cold to do this, the natural light makes this part soooo much easier)

After a bit of rearranging, adding and taking away pieces that didn't 'fit' and mumbling to myself, this is what I've got so far (ignore the stickies, I had to mark them so I could put the ones I won't use back in their storage space) :



Technically, although there are the right number of fabrics, there is one missing and one extra :-)
There is no fabric yet for the topper. Probably going to have to be black.
The extra is either the blue or green knit on the top right.

The bottoms, from top to bottom -
- black tone on tone stripe - Fabricville
- black tone on tone check - Fabricmart, mystery bundle
- grey/olive stretch denim - Fabricmart stretch bundle (doesn't look olive to me, and it goes with all the others, so...)
- black/grey textured wool - Bouclair (I wrote boucle on my excel sheet, but don't know how to tell for sure - it wasn't labelled)



Tops, clockwise from the green -
- green cotton rib knit - fabric.com
- sky blue cotton rib knit - fabric.com
- burgandy interlock - Wazoodle
- red/grey poly knit - Fabricville
- red broadcloth - Fabricville
- black/blue print cotton jersey - World Sewing Center (Toronto)



Now, I need to do 3 things,
- decide on the patterns
- decide on a fabric for the topper
- decide between the green & the sky blue knit (I think they both go with the bottom pieces, but I REALLY like the green better even though it seems really out of place with the other colors) - opinions anyone ?