Berlin's Whimsy

Sewing Plans.

Each week, I have sewing plans. I can’t list all of the patterns I want to eventually make (well, there’s the Darling Ranges Dress, the Banksia Top, the Esme Top, Cake Pattern's Tiramisu, Colette Chantilly, and Sewaholic's Cambrie). And then there's also the Washi Dress.Someday, I'll finish them all!

With working full-time and all the other stuff I have going on in my life, I find that sewing projects must be tackled in increments. Small increments. However, I enjoy the rhythm. Plus, it's very fun to go to work in a handmade skirt or dress--- it's like taking a bit of my creative life to work with me.

When I start a new project, I have a routine that I follow. I trace my patterns first and then move onto a muslin or a "practive" piece with cheap fabric. I'm getting better about sticking to this routine. As much as my limited sewing time tempts me to just want to dive into a project, my small fabric budget forces me to be wise. Plus, I hate making curse-worthy projects that just don't fit!

 

So, with my time constraints, I've become quite adept at satiating any instant gratification urges with patterns I know work for me and are quick to complete.

The Ginger Skirt by Colette Patterns is one such project. Start to finish in less than a couple hours--- probably less. I have a few of these that I wear often.

Another is my own pattern for a gored skirt--- I call it the Bustle Skirt because of the simple technique of grouping the gathering towards the back of the skirt. I might post a pattern here someday... I wear these to work often.

I'm now in my beginning phase of making the Washi Dress: reading through helpful alterations & tips, tracing off the pattern, finding fabric. And I have high hopes of finishing a version of this dress this coming weekend.... Wish me luck!!

Oh, and isn't this a cute charm necklace?! I found it at a local thriftstore...

 

 

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Peter Pan Collar.

I still knit. But not with cotton.

Remind me to never start another project in cotton. Silly me, I decided to make this baby sweater in Lion Brand Cotton-Ease. It seemed sensible at the time: washable cotton for a baby. Well, that's only sensible if the sweater is completed and the baby actually receives it. Apparently for this wool-lover, that's a tall task.

 
 
Once again, I'm reminded of how tactile & sensual knitting is for me. The mere thought of picking up those needles and pulling stitch after stitch of dead-feeling, stiff cotton through loops makes me avoid picking up my knitting at all. That's because I told myself I could not knit any other project until this one is complete. And it's sooooo near completion. But then again, I don't relish the feel and for me, that's everything.

I'd much rather knit on this (Shalom Pattern).

 

It's in the scrumptious and squishy wool from Quince & Co: Lark. I love it. In fact, I'm fairly enchanted with all of the yarns from Quince & Co.  I love how alive wool feels. How it slides over the needles and fills in each stitch. How I can gather it up into a big handful and smell wool's earthy scents. How each wool sweater is unique. Lesson learned---I'll be knitting with wool from here on out! (Except for dishcloths, of course)... I guess I'm stuck with living in cold climates!

Not another Hat.

This post's title is inspired by a yarn shop here in Oregon called, 'Knot Another Hat.' That name makes me smile. Well, it makes me smile because my family members probably say that very same phrase. Or at least some of them. You see, we have this big basket full of hats sitting by the door waiting for anyone, anyone to wear one. It seems hats are enjoyed by all yet worn by few... My daughter, however, will pull on almost any style of hat but it will disappear in the abyss of her school locker. But that's another story.

 

Well anyway, I knitted Pants another hat for his recent birthday. Though, all of Brooklyn Tweed's knitting patterns are worthy of knitting up if only for their sophistication and style, I felt that his Quincy hat fit Pants' taste. Pants likes to fold the brim of his hat up, but only in the back. I thought the ingenious folding of Quincy would suffice that need, but he still folds it "his way." 

And don't tell my family, but many of them are getting MORE hats for Christmas!  

Tova Top from Wikstenmade.

I knew I had to make a Tova Top when I first spotted the pattern on Jenny Gordy's blog. It was a preorder pattern then and it wasn't shipped out until the end of October. Overall, I enjoy Jenny Gordy's style, Wikstenmade, and I've made one of her sewing patterns before.

 

Right before Thanksgiving, I finally found a little time to sew together the top. I love it! It's perfect for the holidays. I found the fabric at a local quilt/fabric store and it was perfectly suited for the pattern.

The pattern was easy to follow, and again, I appreciate the designer's attention to detail and her thorough instructions.

 

Ah, I wish I felt comfortable posing in front of the camera, but frankly I don't. I would love to get a dress form for the sole purpose of photographing my projects!

 

Woodland Hooded Scarf

When I spotted this new sewing pattern, I knew I had to make one----or many! It reminded me of something out of 'Lord of the Rings,' which is always a draw for our family. This is my first take on The Hooded Scarf by Jamie Christina and my daughter has claimed it.

The pattern offers a few options: a ruffled, drawstring, or pleated version (there's also one with cat ears). I made the pleated one. Both my daughter and I decided it was our favorite. So far.

The pattern only calls for 1.25 yards of fabric so it's a great way to use some fun fabrics. For this scarf, I used a fuzzy cotton flannel for the outer fabric and a woodland animal print for the liner. I also sandwiched another flannel in the hood for a little more warmth and thickness there. The finished scarf reminds me of the woods and nature and gathering acorns in the cool fall weather.

I plan on making my own scarf as soon as my fabric arrives. Mine will be a little more "sophisticated" (I know,boring, huh?!) in a dark gray wool knit fabric and jersey knit liner.

I'd like to sew my son one, as well, and I'll probably use the drawstring option with a striped black and white knit fabric... Something more teenager-ish...

So, we're getting close to being ready for those cool fall days but now our temps are back up in the 80s! Not for long, though...

The bane of gathers.

Another project from this pattern: Simplicity 3692--Built by Wendy.

Unfortunately, this pattern exposes one of my sewing weaknesses---gathering evenly. Ugh---I hate that! If any sewers out there have tips and tricks for gathering and then sewing the gathers down evenly, please do share!

Anyhow, I still love this shirt. I used a woven with a bit of stretch that I found at Joann's for less than $3 per yard. Yet another inexpensive sewing project (love those)! 

It fits me well, though I didn't have anyone around to take a proper photo.

Something about the shape of a top with a yoke and gathers attracts me---both to a pattern and ready-to-wear clothing. I notice that many of my clothes have this style.

Deconstructed. The Reinvention Skirt.

Well, on the list of inexpensive back-to-school clothes, this one has to be at the top. It's made from two t-shirts I found at Goodwill for less than $5 total.

I used Mayamade's Reinvention Skirt pattern. I made a similar skirt last year, but Mayamade's pattern offers some very creative and useful ideas (the frilly border on the bottom of the skirt comes from her pattern suggestions). She also includes an idea for a headband made from the t-shirt leftovers. There are so many possibilities with this technique!

I went for a "deconstructed" look, with exposed seams and such. If I were to do it all over again, I would add two more exposed seams down the front and back to pull the look together a little more. I used my serger quite a bit for this project but it's not written for sergers----you can use your regular sewing machine for the whole thing.

My daughter loves it and I plan to make more!

Colors together.

We're in the midst of transitions. My son started high school (gasp). My daughter is back in school, too. I finished my summer term and I'm enjoying a little break before my fall term rolls in. 

We took on a huge redecorating project right before my children returned to school (and in the midst of my finals week---doh). Our house is full of muted colors and it's so nice to slowly add color to the walls. Colors are so inspiring.

The fall weather has arrived and my knitting needles have yarn on them again. I'm working on this hat.

Sometimes nothing feels better than taking a 10-minute break from the craziness that is family life to knit a couple rows in a quiet corner.

Sometimes I sew, too. Our dining room is a mess with sewing projects all over the place. Boy, I'm a messy sewer! Nonetheless, a few successful projects have emerged from the clutter.

Like this one---- a first-day-of-school dress for my daughter. She picked out the fabric here----a light-weight corduroy. I used the Built By Wendy/Simplicity pattern #3692. The pattern is designed for knits but because it runs large, it worked out just fine. My daughter loves it (despite the look of, "Okay, I'll pose for a photo but I'm not happy about it"). I'm knocking on wood as I write this--- that I'm so pleased that my daughter still wears the clothes I make for her! Anyhow, I intend to make myself a shirt out of this pattern. I also have some knit fabric to make my daughter another dress...

sewing in the summer.

 

I'm sewing again. I took quite a break from my sewing machine this spring. I believe it was sad and lonely gathering dust on the shelf. So much so, that it requested a friend to keep it company---a  companion with multiple needles and blades. Oh!

I bought this serger with specific projects and ideas in mind but plans changed... Even so, the serger has won me over with its tricks. The rolled hem alone is enough to make me wonder how I lived without it. But my sewing machine has nothing to worry about----- it's still my main form of sewing magic. 

Another inspiring discovery: Colette patterns. I absolutely love them. Not to mention the company is right here in Oregon. In fact, the designs remind me of some of the vintage-inspired clothing styles I see in Portland. I plan on making the Parfait dress very soon. In yellow. To match the brooch in the top photo. I inherited it from my Grandma.

But so far, I'm too enamored with making these French Knickers from the Nutmeg pattern to venture off on another project. They are simple and very, very cute!

I whipped them up in under an hour. I plan on making more of these with some stretch satin, charmeuse, or silk (ohhh!).  My daughter is requesting a pair for sleepwear.

Colette has a blog and also has a gallery of finished projects. Very inspiring! Not to mention a free pattern download for some mini bloomers here (Madeleine). Another pattern on my list...

Swiffer Cover Sewing Pattern

Swiffer Cover Sewing Pattern

Materials:

·        Basic sewing supplies (machine, thread, scissors, iron, etc)
·         2 pieces of terrycloth material (eg. towels), at least 12 x 14” each
·         2 large and colorful buttons, or velcro
·         Tracing paper

 How to:

On a piece of tracing paper, copy the dimensions of the cover using the measurements provided. Using your pattern, cut out two pieces of the fabric. 

Fire up your sewing machine and your iron.

Pin the fabric right sides together. Beginning on one long end of the cover, sew around the entire cover using a ½” seam, leaving a four-inch opening for turning. Due to the bulk and nature of the fabric, it will slide around a lot while sewing so be sure to reset the fabric into place here and there.

Using scissors, clip off the corners to eliminate bulk and clip diagonally into the inner (don’t clip the seams, however!).

Turn the cover right side out, using a chopstick to get into those difficult corners. 

Press the cover into shape with a hot iron. Press the seams under where the opening is.

Topstitch around the entire cover ¼” inside the edge, thus closing the opening where you turned the cover. Topstitch five horizontal lines along the bottom of the cover (this gives the cover shape).

I use buttons for attaching my cover but if you’re leery of buttonholing on terrycloth (and I wouldn’t blame you if you were!), you could use Velcro for attaching the cover. For the perfectionist, you could place a square of stabilizer beneath the buttonhole area for stabilization of the buttonholes----but hey, it is just a swiffer cover, after all…!

Now try your swiffer cover on. Pull it up snug. On the flaps, mark the placement of the buttons and buttonholes----again, you want the cover to be snug, especially if you will be using the cover wet. For example, I placed my buttons 1 ½” from the edges.

Hold your breath and sew two horizontal buttonholes corresponding to your marks and your button sizes. Sew on your buttons.

Put your swiffer cover on and ooh and ahh with delight for now you can swiff your floors in style!

**Note: This cover is reversible. To make it so, place buttons or velcro on both sides of the flaps.