Fall Sewing

Fall is almost here and the weather is turning cooler. I have been thinking about fall clothes and what I need this year. The last several years I have spent most of "public" time in scrubs. Prior to that, I worked in an office as a manager and wore dressier clothes that now mostly hang in the back of the closet.

I am mostly in need of sportswear and casual clothes. I did have some of those but I lost 20 lbs over the last 3 years and most of what I have doesn't fit. I am planning to make 3 or 4 knit long sleeve tops, a couple of casual dresses and maybe 3 pair of pants. That is my PLAN! Let's see how productive I actually am! Because I certainly plan to make grandkid clothes also.

I recently made a set of camo clothes for all 3 grandsons and kind of got stuck in a camo state of mind. Mind you, I have never owned camo anything in my life. But I saw this lightweight camo knit with flowers and leaves and it looked kind of feminine, so in honor of the camo obsessed grandsons I thought I'd make some things to match. I can't wait to wear them over to their house and see their reaction.

I recently started subscribing to Burda style magazine. For those not familiar, Burda is a Dutch pattern company known for it's up to date fashion sense. The magazine shows pictures of the clothes made from the patterns and patterns for all the clothes. It costs about $9.00 an issue and has over 30 patterns of men, women and some kids clothes. The trick is the pieces are on the big sheet of paper in the middle of the magazine and you have to trace them from there onto paper and there are 4 large sheets and the pieces are all over the sheets. It's not for the faint of heart. I made my first garment from the magazine and it was an experience to say the least. If anyone is interested in giving it a try, I can give you some advice to help. Just let me know in the comments if you want to give it a try.

This is one sheet from the book. The pattern pieces are color coded and numbered and you have a search for them and then trace them onto your paper.

My Burda outfit. Wrap skirt and vest. I got this fabric as a red tag clearance at Joann's. It was marked $5.00 a yard and was an additional 50% off. It is a twill and silk mix for suiting and the color also contributed to my camo moment.

This is the camo knit shirt with the skirt.

I had enough fabric to make this dress in addition to the shirt. I had 3 yards of this fabric and that makes a dress and a long sleeved top. These patterns are very easy and, unlike the Burda whip up in an hour to an 

    hour and a half. They have 4 pattern pieces.

The top was from the Simplicity on the left and the dress came from the Cynthia Rowley for Simplicity on the 

right

This is the Burda style magazine that contained the vest and skirt pattern.

Let me know if you would like me to post tutorials on any thing related to sewing. That is all I have for now.

What are your fall creative plans? Let me know in comments. For now, enjoy the fall weather and keep coloring your world.

It's Curtains for this Plaid

Our challenge this week on Sew Weekly was called "Mad for Plaid." We were to create a garment in plaid in honor of back to school. 

This skirt started life as curtains I made for my dining room years ago when I had neutral walls in there. That room has been blue for about eight years and these curtains have been in storage that long. The fabric was beautiful. It's silk dupioni and the colors are so vibrant and beautiful. It has a great sheen to it and I washed this fabric in water every year when it was curtains and hung to dry without any problem. So now it's a skirt!

 This pattern is a Cynthia Rowley for Simplicity and was very easy. It took about three hours. It has a back zip and a bias strip around the top of the waistband and hem so no hemming. There are big pockets and it's very comfy.

 I like it with the gold sweater but hubbie liked it with the pumpkin. It also has a subtle green stripe in it but I don't think a green top would look good.

 It has a high waist that would look good with a tucked- in top.

So do you like the pumpkin or gold? I think it's a great fall addition to my closet instead of curtains in storage.

Last week was so hectic with running to the hospital for tests and I also sewed a pair of camos for my grandson for his birthday, which is today. I don't really have any experience with men's clothes and each of the big four pattern companies only make one or two men/boy patterns and they are all the same. Not inspiring. I got so involved in the project and didn't get done until late Saturday night. The party was Sunday! I was so tired I forgot to take pictures of the shirt and pants.

If anyone has sons who are into camo and playing soldier, etc, there is a website where you can buy authentic uniform pieces for each brand of service. They also carry authentic patches, helmets, boots etc. It's called militaryclothing.com. Their service is also prompt but the sizing runs small.

The weather is still nice and I hope you're enjoying this gift. Have a great week and keep coloring your world!

sorry blogger

I'm so sorry I have't posted lately. I have not been well and have been having tests every single day. I am so sick of doctors and of driving all over to this clinic and that. I haven't had time or energy for sewing for about seven days. I am suffering terribly from sewing withdrawal! I have another doctor appointment today. :(

Thank you for your well wishes and I promise I will be back at the sewing machine soon.

On a brighter note, the weather here is gorgeous! Cool nights and warm sunny days. This could go on forever and I wouldn't complain. The huge maple outside my picture window is turning orange and gold and is getting beautiful. I hope you are all enjoying beautiful weather also. Keep on coloring!

Last Week's Sew Weekly Challenge

Last week on http://www.sewweekly.com/ , we were to create a look that was inspired by one of our fellow sewists during the challenges. During the Perfect Summer Dress challenge, I fell in love with Adey Lim's Blue Parasol Dress. She is http://sewconvert.wordpress.com/ a fellow blogger who does amazing tailoring and design. You can find her dress there or on Sew Weekly.

I looked online and locally for a large blue and white striped fabric to no avail. Finally I had to settle for a seersucker in a small stripe but in the same gorgeous blue. This is my homage to Adey's dress. Adey's dress matched the stripes in a chevron pattern. I wasn't sure I could do that, as I had never tried to match so many stripes in that precise a pattern.

Not bad, huh? I cut each piece individually and laid the matching piece next to it so I could match it. Time consuming but it worked.

I used New Look pattern # 6886, which is a very easy pattern. New Look patterns are all around $4.00 and very affordable. I added the waist band and the pockets. It has a zip on the left side.
This is so comfy, I could sleep in it for a nightgown! Too bad summer is about over. But you can bet I'll wear this alot next summer

Check out the original on Adey's site. I am not the sewist Adey is, but I love this dress.

Keep coloring, friends.

On Being a Nurse

I have been a working RN for 35 years. Many people in nursing complain about their jobs and I have done my fair share over the years. Also, many people leave nursing to do other things.
I always regarded my job as more than a job. I regarded it as a mission to my fellow human beings as well as a livelihood.
If I never get to work as a nurse again, it has been an honor and a privilege to care for people who could not care for themselves. People who trusted me and opened their heart to me. People who asked me to do things for them that they could never ask their families to do. People who shared their fears and pain with me because they couldn't share them with anyone else. People who truly had no one in the world to help them or to show them compassion. People whose need was so great  that it was a huge gaping hole that could never be filled.
It has been a privilege to serve everyone I have touched.

Polka Dot Mania

As promised, here is my latest polka dot creation. I still don't think I am over polka dots, but feel like I'm moving into some stripes for fall!

This is a lightweight, stretchy rayon jersey material, with black linen for the trim. I used Simplicity pattern 2176. I actually make a size smaller than my measurements for all Simplicity patterns and they fit fine. It took a yard and 3/4 of the polka dot material and 3/4 yard for the trim. I wanted to add that black waistband to define my waist as I have an hour glass figure and my waist is easy to lose in dresses. So I just cut a 3 inch strip the size of my waist plus an inch to turn under at back. I attached the strip to the bodice right side to right side with a half inch seam allowance, then attached it to the skirt the same way, leaving a 21/2 inch band showing. This is the same size as the band around the bodice. I am long waisted so that did not make it too low. You might have to adjust for your measurements.

I am so sorry that hubbie is a bad photog and cut the top of my head off in most of these pics. I like the hat with it!

                                                   Back view, along with Snap, the cockapoo.

                                              I thought it needed a little decorative button in back.

And the front begs for a brooch. This is a vintage brooch from the Maple Knoll Christmas Bazaar one year.

                                              office appropriate with a shrug and tights for fall.

full-on fall with long sleeved cardigan. You could also wear a pullover top or sweater over the dress for a skirt and top look.

This is not my project for Sew Weekly this week, unfortunately, and I still have to complete another look this week! But the weather is beautiful and I want to be outdoors. Oh, well.

Soon (as in I should have done this already) I need to start fall clothes for grandkids. I have plenty of fabric for projects, just not so much energy. I am also having bad tremors off and on and flashy light blind spots in my visual fields and can't sew when they torment. Oh, well, still making that lemonade!

Keep coloring your world, my friends.

Western theme for Sew Weekly

Last week for sew weekly we were to make a western theme look. Now I don't ever wear western look and my hubbie really dislikes and prairie look, so this presented a problem. I didn't want to spend a great deal of time or money on this project, but no one wants to post a shabby creation either.

I was thinking denim skirt, but I have several cute denim skirts in my closet now and that too seemed wasteful. Suddenly I remembered a denim skirt I had in my "refashion" stash that I had gone through lately when straightening up the sewing room. (It has to be done occasionally!)

I purchased this skirt at Walmart one year when long denim skirt looks were in. It was on a sale rack for $5 and it was my usual size so of course I didn't try it on and through it in my cart. Well, it was about 4 inches too wide and came below my shins. With my short little legs, it looked like a gunny sack. I threw it in my refashion bin and it has lingered there for 5 years.

When looking for inspiration for a western look, I was browsing an online store called Crows Nest, which really did have some nice western, southwestern and boho looks. I had seen a skirt called "rock and roll", which had a jeans skirt top and a black net ruffly long skirt attached to the bottom. Hum, I say, maybe I could finally use that jean skirt.

I measured below my hips and cut off the bottom of the offending length. Then I took the side seams in for a snug fit in the waist and hips. I had some challis fabric I had purchased from Fabric.com $1.95 bin with these bright, lovely colors of the Sedona desert that I thought might do nicely.
I cut three 7" strips of the challis, each a half measurement longer than the previous. I hemmed the tops of the strips with a 1/4" hem, placed a gathering stitch, and fitted them in succession to the jean skirt top. I call it my Sedona  Sunset Western-prairie skirt.

                                          Original skirt (after I had sliced off bottom and taken in top)

                                                    styled with white T and vest.



 

Rear view. (Sarah, one of my canine companions) is helping me. I should be using that hoe in the garden instead of as a prop!

Could also be worn with long in any of the colors in the skirt for a straight prairie look. This could be styled with a turquoise trimmed belt. (or a nicer top than this $5 Walmart special!)














Well, that was my effort for Sew Weekly this week. Maybe not the most expert technically, but I am proud of my refashion. We throw so many clothes away in this country and waste so much money on clothes we never wear. I try to re-purpose as much as possible and this can include jackets into vests, sheets into dresses and of course T-shirts can become so many things. Check out Megan Nicolay's book Generation T for many ideas for T's.
These projects require minimal sewing skills and are a great crafting activity you can do with kids.


This week I also worked on this dress.
I also am almost  finished with my polka dot mania dress. You don't know, but I have been nuts over polka dots this summer and my hubbie is not a polka dot fan. He can't get excited or even understand my dottie craziness. I will post all my pics when I am done with my latest dot obsession, but here is an preview. What do you think?



Have a blessed week and get coloring your world!