Spring 2020 Sewing plans

 I have only lined up 3 dresses for Spring, because

a. I do not need a lot of new clothes

b. I want to be on time for my summer makes.

I will make 3 dresses. 1 is a transitional piece & the other 2 will be more warm weather ready. This year we are experiencing La Nina weather phenomenon, so we are not putting our coats away just yet. Here is the line-up.

1. Mood Sewciety Zenobia/Yarrow redux dress

2.Simplicity S9013

3.McCalls M7777

Winter 2020 wardrobe

 I am congratulating myself as I finished my winter wardrobe a month before the end of winter. I made 5 item including a hand knitted vest

The Yellow top is View C of Simplicity S8982.This is my favourite piece of my winter wardrobe. This pattern was very simple to follow & I made no alterations.

I also love the cardigan which covers my toosh well. There is a sort fs peplum piece at the back which provides fullness. The pattern for the cardigan is McCall's M6996 view A.I will  more versions of this cardi in patterned  fabrics. I made size L.

I also made black velvet leggings using McCall's M7026 view E. I cut out the largest size, which was 22 according to my hip measurements. That was a mistake, the pants were too loose & I had to reduce them by 3 sizes to get the right fit. I employed the same method when I made a pair for my daughter.

The skirt is version B of McCall's M7022. This was my first experiment with plaids. This pattern harkens back to my childhood when my dad bought us tartan winter skirts. The skirt sits below the waist.

I enjoyed curating these pieces. Next are my spring pieces.

Perfume adventures

I have always enjoyed fragrances of all sorts.In the past, I have always blind bought my perfumes.My earliest choices always gravitated to wards green perfume like Yardley's Lily of the Valley & Gucci envy.I also used Yardley's Lace, Elizabeth Arden Green Tea, Revlon Fire & Ice.

In the past 10 years, I have tended to use, floral orientals & white florals. In a quest to try new things, I am going to purchase & try perfumes in each perfume group & I will give my update here. Yesterday I received my first 4 samples from the woody group.They are:

1.Mediterranean by Elizabeth Arden - Woody Floral musk

2. Aoud Lime Montale -Woody Spice

3. Gypsy Water Byredo - Woody Aromatic

4. Mandragore Pourpre Annick Goutal - Woody Spicy

I have already tried out the Aoud Lime. the opening in non technical language smells like new leather.Its a pretty loud opening.The perfume was still going strong.After 3 hours, the scent dried down to skin scent & only rose scent is discernible at this point. The silage is not that great. I will wear it all day tomorrow & update this blog.xxx

Update!

Aoud Lime is an OK perfume. Silage is not great.Its safe for work.Might be a good one to layer with other perfumes.

Mediterranean by Elizabeth Arden is a safe & generic smelling perfume.Not much projection here.It is good for its price point.

Gypsy Water Byredo - This smells good opening is quite citrusy. Not much projection , it quickly dries down to skin scent.Not worth buying for the price.

Mandragore Pourpre Annick Goutal

This smells good.I am considering purchasing a full bottle.

Midyear sewing review

Today is 1st July 2020...how time flies. I would like to review my plans and achievements for the 1st half of the year.

January

I knitted a turtleneck cable jumper for my son in 100% wool called donkey.I had no access to a sewing machine, so I did not sew at all.

February

Set of crotchet placemats & coasters.

March

Butterick 6696, skirt & top, Simplicity 8800, robe.

April

Wide legged pants Simplicity S8605

Velvet tights McCalls M7026

May

Blouse McCalls M6285

Cutlery bags

June

Skirt for DD B6669

Dress M7727

Cushion covers

Curtain alterations

 

Simplicity 8800  -  Robe View D

I used a floral pink lawn that has been in my stash for a while.The instructions were simple and straightforward.I expected to have problems with the front robe bands as alluded to by other sewists on pattern review.
My natural inclination was to attach the front band before doing the hem. If you do it that way, the band becomes shorter.If instructions are followed to a T, this pattern is a breeze to make.I would redo this pattern and add more width to the  hip area so that the robe covers me better.I am happy with my fabric choice which is soft & comfortable.

January 2020 plans

1. Men's jumper
2. Skirt B6696
3.Top B6696
4.Dress M7775
5. Dressing Gown S8800

November wedding sewing

I have chosen a pattern & fabric for the dresses that I will wear to a wedding on the 1st of November. Burda 6442 for the evening gown as the event starts at 2. I have an option for the day dress which is a Burda 6638.I started with the evening gown as I was nervous about sewing with satin.As always I had to grade for a bigger hip size.Also misunderstood the instruction showing the joining of the pattern pieces to make one fabric piece, I therefore ended with  seams where there should have been none.My consolation is that the seams were flat as I was concerned about puckering. I am confident to do another project with satin now.

This is the finished product


After the evening dress, I proceeded to make the day dress.....Which was also not complex

Summer sewing round up.

Summer sewing round up

Summer officially ended on 29 Feb, so its time to review my summer plans.

I had planned to make a top & skirt from Butterick 6669, a flowy cheese cloth summer skirt & night gown .The plan was to make these items whilst on holiday in Zimbabwe.

Nothing went according to plan.The sewing machine , a treasured Elna 6000 had a broken foot pedal & I could not find a replacement for it.As if that was not enough, I had not packed dressmaking pins to cut out my projects.See improvisation below.

The one thing I did right was to pack my knitting.I almost completed my son's turtleneck sweater on the trip .The knitting project kept me sane as everything back home happens at a snail's pace.I also got plenty of surprised expressions as it has become obsolete.Almost no-one knits unless if they are knitting school jumpers for their children.Even then, machine knitting is most likely what one would go with. Knitting in Zim appears to be something you engage in out of necessity rather than pleasure. Also another killjoy aspect of it is that there appears to be no other wool alternatives other than acrylic wool.

I eventually started on my sewing project , which is  top from Butterick 6669.I expected that to be a breeze but was shocked when I tried the top & it was gapping at the top. I took in 13cm across the back & that fixed the fitting issues.I am going to complete the hem today.Being pear-shaped I cut size 22 to accommodate my 107cm bust and 132cm hip.As always, I would have had to make adjustments. Fortunately the 13cm  I took in at the back was sufficient.Also my invisible zipper sewing was impressive.
 See finished product below.

Pattern collection update

New pattern stash

My sister just sent me more sewing patterns in December....feeding the beast ha ha ha!
Simplicity
S8800, 1605A, S8982 , S8172, S8919 , S8657 , S9013 , S8843, S8605 , S8558, 1421

2019 Sewing round up

This is a list of the sewing, knitting & crochet projects I worked on this year.

2/2019
Irish quilt
placemat prototypes
3/2019
Vimbai dress muslin
Burda 6589 dress& TOP
04/2019
Butterick dress B6352
06/2019
Gradient blanket
08/2019
McCalls M7727 & M6515
Patchwork bedcover
09/2019
Duster
Simplicity 8648
10/2019
Wrap around skirt
11/2019
Burda 6442
Burda 6638
12/2019
3 tier skirt

I have been more experimental with my sewing this year. I have perfected my invisible zip sewing skills.I am also proud of my Irish chain quilt. I used boning for the first time in the construction of dress B6352, I imagined it to be more complex than it is.

I want to improve on making my seasonal wardrobes ahead of time. I would also like to keep practicing with sewing sheer fabrics. My making has also been all over the place. I am looking to have 3 simultaneous projects at any given time. 1. Home sewing, 2. personal wardrobe, and 3.Knitting & crotchet.

Home sewing wishlist
1. Placemats
2.table cloths
3.Cushion covers
4.Quilts

Personal wardrobe
1. Replacement of old clothes
2.Additional items

Knitting & crotchet
1.Personal & family jumpers
2. Home knitting & crochet.

Flower girl dress

I made a flower girl dress for a 5-year-old girl. This is the first time I am making a fancy dress with fabric choices I have not worked with in the past. The pattern is Vogue 7681 Option B.Fabrics: Tafetta white 2 and white organza. My pattern size runs from 6-8. I have read on pattern review that this pattern runs large. The child's measurements are bust 64cm, waist 61cm & hips 70cm. The bodice is currently 69cm so I plan to take it in.



Fortunately, I tried on the little princess & the bodice fit perfectly, so no need for alterations.

I completed this dress but have not seen the little princess dressed in it.

Regrets:

• I feel like I did not know how to iron the organza to get a flat finish on it
• I should have taken the time to experiment with making a rolled hem, as I did not like the finished hem
• I also should have used french seams

I will find another project with delicate 

Anleitung Jumper

I have just completed the Anleitung jumper for my son:



It took me almost 6 weeks to complete this jumper as I struggled with translating German instructions. In the end, I mostly relied on the chart to get an idea of what I was doing. I used a 50/50 acrylic & cotton blend that I bought from Spotlight.

For the V-neck instruction, I checked for instructions on Google, to see how others have done it. in the end, I used instructions from, http://bagsofwool.blogspot.com/2014/06/how-to-knit-v-neck-on-circular.html. I followed the second set of instructions.

This is the first time I have blocked my finished product.in future, I will block the individual pieces, as I found that the complete product was not drying fast enough.

When my son tried the finished product, he was not happy with the sleeves being too long. I have redone one and will complete, the other soon. I need to finish before my trip to Zimbabwe on 4 Jan.

On my trip, I will be knitting a turtleneck sweater in an Alpaca blend from Lincraft. Coaster is the wool in the shade Donkey.

Update:
The jumper was completed on 31/12/2019.