Inspiration..Capris

How to you feel about Capris?  I kinda waffle back and forth on them.  They have to hit in the right spot to work.   However here is some Eileen Fisher capris:

These are available at Neiman Marcus and the name is Eileen Fisher Slim Crepe Capri Pants.  Price tag $158.00.

If I were buying these, they would be the graphite color and I found the almost perfect fabric at Mood:

This is just $17.99/yard.  I would think 2 yards would be enough fabric to make a pair of capris.  There isn't much of this color left.    I just checked the fabric content and it is wool.  Maybe this isn't a perfect fabric for summer but the color is good.  Anyone know of another resource for stretch crepe?

Now, let's look at the pattern.  This is a slim yoga pant styling.  I know Silhouette Patterns get a lot of positive reviews for the regular Yoga Pant:

However, the new Slim Yoga Pant might be a better match to the silhouette of the inspiration photo:

This pattern does have seaming down the back of the leg which is also different than the inspiration photo.   The first yoga pant pattern would match that.

I'm going to definitely give this capri thought for my summer/fall wardrobe.  I like the idea of it.  It would give me something different to wear besides skirt in the hot summer.  The question is would this type of fabric be good for hot weather or would it be better to use a stretch twill.  So many things to think about.  Of course, there is the issue of time.  I always have more ideas than time to do.

What are your thoughts on this type of capri?  Would using the crepe be too dressy for everyday running around or is this more work appropriate?  Are capris work appropriate? I've been out of the day-to-day work force for a long time.

Happy Sewing!

I've Done It Now - Day 2...

Progress is being made on the chair, slowly but surely.  I will admit that right now I'm wondering why I didn't just hand this off to an upholstery store and be done with it.  At this point, I feel committed.  Here's the progress from Day 2:

This is the upper portion of the chair.  I just wanted to document how the padding is folded over the top of the chair and tacked.  Yes, I had to locate takes inside the fluff.  I'm sure I haven't found this all.  Believe when I tell you that they were tack happy.

The is the fluff at the back of the chair.  It is in good condition and I plan on reusing it.

I have had this chair for about 30 years and never noticed this little tag on the back.  Also, notice that someone spray painted the chair green.  I didn't really notice when I purchased it.  The paint didn't rub off so I suppose that was good thing.

On the finally leg of removing the tacks for the seat when I slipped and gouged my finger with the screw driver.  Sigh!  I thought that maybe just maybe I would be able to get through this without having an accident.  I had talked to my doctor about this just today regarding the rusting tacks in this chair and my tetanus shot is at 9 1/2 years.  Nope, can't do an update for 6 months.  Anyway back to the gouge.  Since I had to stop and scrub the dirty, rusty stuff off my hands and scrub really good with soap, a bit of alcohol, a bit of hydrogen peroxide, a bit of OTC antibiotic ointment, and a bandage.  I decided I was done for today.  I suppose I will be wearing a glove on that hand when working with the rusty, dusty stuff.

I've been looking at youtube for information on how to do the inside.  I think I've pretty much figured out most of the stuffing parts.  I don't think that part is going to be too difficult.  I'm a tad worried about the keeping the pattern on the fabric straight.

I already pointed out that I keeping the fluff for the back of the chair.  In looking at the jute strapping and the jute covering, they both look to be in good shape.  The front portion of the chair seat seems to need to additional padding.  At this point, I will need to decide with to just replace everything that is there or just supplement the padding.  I guess I will know more once I figure out how to removed the arms or if I'm going to remove the arms.  I may just cut out around the arm and fold the fabric around the arm.  The arm is screwed in from the inside on the seat back but there are plugs on the portion on the outside.  I am a little afraid that we might damage the finish on this if we attempt to remove the plugs. 

Maybe tomorrow I will get to see the inside of the seat.  Then I will be able to figure out just how much stuff needs to be ordered.  The adventure continues.

Happy Stitching!

Kitchen Towels...

Last year, I purchased a bolt of toweling with in intent on making new towels for my kitchen in Pennsylvania then life changed.  I will probably still make some towels for myself but for now I made 6 towels for my son who is moving into his first apartment soon.  I hope he likes his towels.  Here they are:

It really can't get easier to make towels using toweling.  Just ironing the hems and stitching them down. 

During the process of pressing the hems, there was a bit of excitement at my house.  I have an older Rowenta Pressure Iron & Steamer.  I know many people have had issues with this iron but the one I have is around 12 to 15 years old and has always worked well.  Anyway, getting back to the pressing of the hems for the towels, I was taking my time pressing taking many breaks.  I kinda forgot about my iron after finishing the last towel.  All the sudden, there was a loud pop and lots of steam.  Really scared me!  I quickly unplugged the iron and give it a little bit of time to cool.  My husband comes home and I explain to him what happened.  He takes the iron apart, checks the tank, declares it ok to use, resets the tank so that it is no longer at an angle, cleaned the tank, and gives it back to me.  I HAVE NOT TRIED IT.  I'm a little scared of it.  He assures me that it is okay to use.  What would you do?  I did purchase another iron but it isn't the same as the old Rowenta.

Happy Stitching!

I've Done It Now....

Have you ever given any thought to re-upholstering a chair?  I have many times.   Many years ago...maybe in the 90s, my Mom recovered this office chair for me:

My kitties immediately loved it too and made a mess of the fabric.  So, I decided to re-do this chair with this fabric:

Yeah, I like to challenge myself.  The colors make me happy but the pattern may not be easy to match up.

Here's the process of taking off the fabric that my Mom put on the chair:

The back piece is off and it was a lot of work.  Much to my surprise, the chair's original color is green.  For some reason, I had thought it was brown.

My Mom used a lot of staples.  The front of the seat back is off.  I do think that I will be taking the leather off this chair as well.  It seems to be dry rotted.

Here you can see how bad the condition of the original material is.  Much of it is loose but all the edges under the chair have been nailed.  I will need to see if those nails can be removed.  Here's a shot of the underside:

That is not good.  It looks to be stuffed with straw and a loose cotton.  I'm not sure what it is but I will need to figure out what to replace it with.  It made a fair mess on my rug when I removed the bottom.

Have you ever attempted this type of sewing?  How did it turn out?

I'm off to see if youtube offers any help in this.  I do have a few books on this type of work but I think it will be easier if I can see what is being done.

Happy Stitching!

Inspiration...Basic A-Line Skirt

Here's a great basic skirt:

This is a great skirt. Both the length and the slight a-line silhouette are very good.  Personally, I would prefer a different color - khaki, gray, blue.  I think this skirt could be dressed up or down which is a big plus. This is Theory Double-Faced Linen Slit Skirt.  Price tag:  $295.00.

Here's a skirt pattern that would work well to duplicate:

This is McCall's 3341.  It is an out-of-print pattern that is still available. 

This New Look patter would work also but it may be a bit fuller than the McCall's pattern.

There are not very many patterns with this silhouette in the pattern books.  Most of the patterns are for knits.

I'm going to dig though the pattern stash and see if I have anything similar.  This would be a great skirt for summer.  The McCall's pattern feels like it should already be in the stash but I couldn't locate it.  Some of my patterns are at the storage unit.  I also sold some of my patterns before I moved.

What do you think of this particular silhouette?  Do you like the longer skirts?  Would you add this to your wardrobe?

Happy Stitching!

Basic Pencil Skirt Revisited....

So, I finally got to wear the basic pencil skirt that was made in the Alabama Chanin style.  I loved the skirt!  It is very comfortable.  However, the fabric grew throughout the day and by mid-afternoon I was afraid that I was going to lose the skirt.  Obviously, this is a fabric issue.  What I don't know is if this is typical of the jersey fabric.  I have always worn jersey as a top fabric and never noticed excessive growth in a top.  With that in mind, I will be taking the skirt apart and reducing the circumference.  Thankfully, this will be fairly easy.   The hand stitching is easy to remove.

Thoughts on the fabric?  It was 100% cotton jersey in a light weight.  Could it be the weight of the fabric?  I have located a source of a heavier weight jersey.  I just need to order and give it try.

Happy Stitching!

A Wild Hair....

I have always been curious about making bras and panties.  As the price of bras and panties keep creeping up, I've decided to investigate bra making and panty making to see if it is actually worth making my own items.  Both seem to take very little fabric.

I have started this process by taking the Craftsy class Sewing Bras: Construction & Fit (affiliate link).  I was a little disappointed that the class didn't have a pattern with it but it does suggest patterns.  I decided to go with the Kwik Sew 3594.  I did wait till there was a sale.  The pattern arrive while I was away.  So, I was happy to see it so that I could read through the directions.  Much to my disappointment there are absolutely no information on fitting in the pattern.  I guess I shouldn't be surprised that the pattern would only contain information on construction.  This makes me very happy about the Craftsy class because it does go into how to fit.

Next, I decided to join Craftsy Unlimited and will be taking the following classes on panty making -
Lingerie Essentials: Boyshort Panty Styles (affiliate link) and Sewing Panties: Construction & Fit (affliliate link).  Both of these classes come with instructions for creating your own pattern.  I have not started creating any patterns yet.

I have no idea if I will share these projects but I may talk about them a bit as I go through the process.

So, you have ever gone done this path?  Did it result in a pleasing product?

Happy Stitching!

Inspiration...Basic Shift Dress

How do you feel about basic dresses?  You know the ones that you can wear often.  Here's a very basic shift:

This is the Eileen Fisher Organic Linen-Blend Shift Dress.  Price tag: $278.00.  I could see this worn many different ways and it could be in a weekly rotation for months if you wanted. 

Here's a pattern with a similar silhouette:
. 

This is McCall's 6102.  It is called a tent dress. The advantages to this dress is that there a separate patterns pieces for the cup sizes.  Of course, I would want to have the an in-between length for a dress with it being just at the knee.

This is McCall's 6465.  This is a pull-over dress.  As you can see, this pattern has a few more options with the sleeve length and hem treatments.  Darting is available for the shaping.

This is New Look 6500.  There are a few options available with this pattern.  There is darting for shaping.  It is not a pull-over style.

I only looked at the Big 4 pattern website.  I was a little surprised at the lack of the very basic woven pull-over dress patterns.  Don't get me wrong, there are lots of interesting dress patterns.  Just not the basic ones for woven fabrics. 

What is your thought on such a basic dress?  Do you like the idea of having this type of dress in the wardrobe that can be worn over and over?

Happy Stitching!

Spring Has Sprung...Shoe Shopping.....

I decided to go spend the morning with my parents and as soon as I got there my Mom wanted to go shoe shopping.  Of course, I said "Yes".  However, it is never easy finding shoes.  I found a pair of tennis shoes that should be fairly versatile:

This is Grasshopper Janie in navy canvas.   I should be able to wear this with most of the items in the wardrobe - skirts, dresses, shorts, pants.  Yes, it's fairly casual but I don't know where my live is headed.   Work or not?  Maybe part-time.  Maybe volunteering.

Mom took home two pair of shoes.  She was happy and I was happy that I was able to help her.

Now, I need to make some skirts.

Happy Stitching!

Stitching, Stitching, Stitching...Working on Scrubbies...

We've been traveling again and making scrubbies is a good way to pass time in the car. The original post on the scrubbie making was back in February.  That is when I cut 12 yards of netting.  ACK!  that was a lot of cutting.  Here's my accomplishment for this trip:

I was able to finish up the netting from a previous cutting session.  The scrubbies from that session are mostly gone.  Here's what is left from my pre-cut netting back:

I am half way done with this go round of netting.  I have many upcoming appointments and will be taking these with me to keep busy as I wait.  I'm sure I will still have some strips for the next trip also.  If not, hopefully, I will be able to come up with additional projects that can be worked in the car.  Maybe some crocheted dishcloths.   I still have several balls of cotton.

Do you crochet?  How about making the little scrubbies?

Happy Stitching!

Inspiration....Mixed Media Tee

I found this Lacy Mixed Media Tee at Loft:

This is not an expensive top. At $39.50, it is probably a mid-range price point.  Unfortunately, it only comes in two colors - white and red. 

I love that this top is a blend of a woven and a knit.  You get the comfort of the knit and the drape-iness of the woven polyester.  What I really like about this tee is the matching trim.  Does anyone know of a place to purchase this type of matching items?  I know you could probably get a white but I can purchase that.   Here's a close-up of the sleeve:

How easy would that be to do?  There are many patterns available that you could use to recreate this simple little top both free and for sale.  I think I'm going to dig around in the huge stash and see exactly what is available.  Does the trim really need to be a lace to get the same effect?  I'm wondering if I could do some other sort of item with a tape or some other pre-packaged item.  If you go to the Loft website and change the color to white, you ca see must more detail.

Hope you inspired to create something beautiful.

Happy Stitching!

Inspiration...Lace-Trimmed Striped Blouse

How about more stripes?  This top has them plus the trendy sleeves:

This is a Kobi Halperin Skylyn Laced-Trim  Blouse at Neiman Marcus.  Price tag $398.00.  Couldn't we make several of these tops for that price? 

My favorite part of this top is the trim.  Otherwise, it is a fairly basic top.  You could use this Silhouette pattern to start the duplication:

This is not an exact match but a similar silhouette.  It would be very easy to trim this.  If the collar is what you wanting to duplicate the Lisette Gallery Tunic might fit the bill:

With the pattern, the collar and sleeves are very good.  The neck slit is different.  Could it still work?  Yes, I think so. 

As far as duplicating the sleeve, you would probably need to do a little bit of research on how to draft that portion of the sleeve.  To me, it looks a little bit like a rectangle has been attached to the sleeve just above the elbow.

Thoughts?  What do you think of the blouse?  What about the pattern selections?  Have you seen a better pattern to use for the duplication?

Happy Sewing!