Astoria - Seamworks Magazine

When I first saw the Astoria top pattern in Seamworks magazine, I wasn't really bowled over by it.  I have several knit top patterns in my stash (Renfrew, Undercover Hood, Linden, and others) and to be frank it isn't a terribly exciting-looking pattern.  Still, I printed it out and assembled it (along with Bristol and Osaka).

Black v1 - no modifications

Then I saw how small the pattern pieces were.  And I thought, "That won't take that long to cut out."  So I cut out a size small in some gray sweatshirt/knit fabric that I had leftover from making Anima pants eons ago.  I loved how soft the fabric was (I think it's a rayon/poly blend) but it showed wear nearly immediately so I didn't know what I was going to do with the rest of it.  "A muslin, " I thought.

Gray v2 - lengthened 2"

It was love at first wear.  The band hit right at my natural waist, and paired perfectly with my high-waisted skirts.  So I cut out another one just like it, in black; then I lengthened the pattern by 2" and used up the rest of the gray fabric.

While I was still working, I wished that I had warmer tops that worked well with my skirts, and Astoria filled that gap in my me-made wardrobe beautifully.  The lengthened version is the perfect length to wear with skinny jeans, and I'm currently planning to make another longer one in black.

As an aside, most of the clothes I'm making these days are gray/black which is pretty boring, but those are honestly the colors I wear the most and what I gravitate towards.  I've got some pretty 100% rayon fabric - black but printed with purple and white flowers - that I'm going to be using in the near future to make a Bristol skirt, so something more visually interesting is in the works!

Me-Made May

I, Viveca of overdevelopedsenseofenlightenment.blogspot.com, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '15. I endeavour to wear one me-made garment (sewn or knit) each day for the duration of May 2015.

Last year, I was super-excited to discover Me-Made May.  A month-long challenge about wearing the garments I've spent so much time making and that make me feel amazing when I wear them?!  Awesome!  But I was also super-bummed, because I discovered it about midway through the month and I hadn't had the time or money to sew many garments that weren't Dagorhir garb.  I had recently started a new job (in February) and hadn't quite gotten through my 90-day probationary period, and I was trying to catch up on bills and save some money for the future.  But I planned right then to do it in 2015.

I still don't have a huge amount of handmade clothes, to be honest.  I just pulled out what I could easily find and here are the stats:

Dresses: 2
Skirts: 7
Cardigans: 1
Knit tops: 8
Sweatshirts: 1
Sweaters (handknit): 3
Socks (handknit): at least 8*
Scarves/Shawls: 5
Blazer: 1

I currently have plans to sew a couple more skirts - they're my favorite sewing project - and I'd like to sew a couple more knit tops, maybe an Osaka and/or Bristol skirt, and another Morris blazer (in a suiting fabric).

My me-mades definitely show my learning curve with knits over the last year (some of that top-stitching is truly cringe-worthy) and it's evident that I struggled with adapting to my new sewing machine, but things are smoothing out.

Pictures!

I also have a pair of altered pants, a pair of Hudson pants, a Hemlock tee, an Aberdeen top, and at least one more pair of handknit socks that I left in Cincinnati the last time I was there.  I'm hoping to get them back before May, but I'm not 100% sure that's going to happen.

I'm super excited to get to participate in Me Made May '15!  Good luck to everyone else who's participating!

Morris Blazer

Grainline Studio dropped the much-anticipated Morris Blazer pattern yesterday, and I was immediately and totally besotted.  I'd been on the look-out for a short-jacket pattern to fill an existing gap in my me-made wardrobe and had considered the Coco jacket from Schnittchen and the Lourdes jacket from Named, but I wasn't (and still don't feel) ready to face a real coat pattern.

The Morris blazer ticked many boxes for me: it's both structured and drapey, looks comfortable, and I like the sleeve length.  Add to that the awesome styling of the pattern, and the knowledge that Jen produces incredibly high-quality patterns and directions, and I was sold.  It leapt into my shopping cart and before I knew it I was assembling a pdf pattern at 10 AM.

I already had five yards of black ponte - one of my preferred fabrics - set aside for tops, jackets, and cardigans in preparation for Me-Made May, so that's what I used for this version.  Eventually I'd like to make a professional-wear version out of black stretch suiting.

I assembled this blazer primarily using my serger, though I used my Janome to do the topstitching and to baste everything together before serging.  The fabric I used was a little too drapey for this pattern, but I still love the jacket and will wear the hell out of it.

As usual, the drafting and instructions were superb and I had very little trouble putting Morris together.  I spent the whole day yesterday on this project (with breaks) but actual assembly probably only took 2-3 hours once everything was cut out and interfaced.

I had a heck of a time doing the sleeve facings, which I assume is because I was tired and getting grumpy after a long day of preparation and sewing.  It could also be due to the amount of stretch in the fabric - the sleeve was significantly bigger than the interfaced facing, and I had trouble easing it in evenly.  "I should probably quit while I'm ahead" occurred to me right before I did it, but I really wanted it done.  It isn't super-noticeable when the jacket's being worn.

This pattern is definitely a winner for me, and I'll absolutely be sewing it up again in a more structured fabric.

Oslo Cardigan

Good afternoon!  Unfortunately I've been pretty sick for the last several days, and had been out of town off-and-on for the two weeks prior, so I just now got around to photographing this make!  This is the Oslo cardigan from Seamworks Magazine, made up in a cotton/spandex performance knit from Joann's.

I cut this out before I left for Cincinnati more than two weeks ago.  I finally got around to sewing it up last week after returning from South Haven, while boyfriend was sick in bed.

(Interior)

Prior to making this, I had one black cardigan that I purchased at Old Navy a year ago.  It quickly grew threadbare and shabby-looking (as modern RTW is wont to do) but I continued to wear it stubbornly up until my job ended.  As soon as I saw Oslo, I knew I wanted to make it.  This pattern was actually the tipping-point for subscribing to Seamworks.  

I originally purchased this fabric to make a pair of Ohhh La Leggings from Papercut Patterns.  I'm pretty sure I still have enough left over to swing a pair of the cropped length; however, this fabric rolled and stuck to itself and was a pain to work with so I'm not sure exactly when I'll get around to it.  Also, it was extremely difficult to tell the right side from the wrong side without bright lights and super-clean glasses. XD

Regardless, it's really comfy and going to be a great wardrobe staple!