Graceful Knitting

I still haven't done any real sewing yet, just a little mending, which I always think is a good 'gateway' back to full-sewing mode. However, I have been knitting. I finished a hemp lace shell before Pearle died, but I still haven't take photos of it. I have finished and have photos of another knitted top. It's called Graceful.
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This is from The Knitter magazine, a UK publication that I happened to see at the local Barnes&Noble. It doesn't have a lot of patterns, maybe about 10, but they are almost all something that I would consider making. I am very impressed with this issue anyway.

Here's my version.

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I used Bendigo Rustic in Agate, which is kind of a grayed purple. It's a DK/worsted weight, and the pattern calls for size 10 needles, so it goes very quickly. It took me about a month, not working too steadily. The thing I would emphasize is that it requires attention to the chart, because you will be doing pattern stitches on all rows. Most lace patterns have you just knit or purl back on the wrong side, but this is a little tougher. I made a larger chart, which helped a lot since otherwise I was having to really stare at it to make sure I was looking at the right place before I went on. The sleeves were a breeze since the more complex pattern is not on the sleeves.


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I love the way the sleeves come down over the back of your hand. It's the same thing that happens at the bottom of the sweater body, and it's just a function of the pattern stitches. I tried to make this longer than I usually do, and I like the length. I will definitely need to wear sometthing under it, as the lace holes are quite large.
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Here are a few more photos of the stitch pattern, with an envelope between the layers of the sweater so you can see more clearly.

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It's snowing here and very cold. We're up to about 8" and it continues. Soon the wind is supposed to pick up and blow it all around, and they're even giving us a blizzard warning. Unfortunately it's going to stay cold for at least a week now, so the snow will stay around a while.

I Never Knew

I never knew just how many wonderful friends I had. I can't tell you how much it has meant to hear from all of you. It's still hard, and I'm sure it will be for quite some time, but it is so much easier to move ahead knowing that so many people care. I really feel like I have been greatly blessed to know all of you. I want to apologize for not keeping up with everyone's projects and blogs, but I think I'm on the way back. I hope so, anyway.

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Many of you know already that my sweetheart is gone. Thank you all for the kind thoughts, prayers and hopes. It means so much to know that others care.


Pearle F. Finigan, 89, Lincoln, died Tuesday (10-6-09). Born (7-18-20) in rural Lincoln, Nebraska to Francis E. and Pearl M. (Allely) Finigan. Ret. farmer/developer. Farmed with horses and tractors. Member: Country Club of Lincoln; Nebraska Hall of Agricultural Achievement; served as Nebraska Director of Agriculture under Governors Ralph Brooks, Dwight Burney and Frank Morrison; very early supporter of John F. Kennedy; owned and operated Finigan Drug in Estes Park, Colo.; developed land for commercial use and acreages in north Lincoln; delegate to several National Democratic Conventions; member of the University of Nebraska Marching Band.

Family members include friend and companion of 26 years, Liana K. Sandin, Lincoln; brother: William Finigan, rural Lincoln; cousins: Mildred McGill, Davey; Thelma Anderson, Lincoln; Bill Ely, Stella; Jim Rowson, Fremont, Calif.; Vicki Dean, Littleton, Colo.; Jim Yates, California. Preceded in death by parents; brother, Edwin J. Finigan.

Rosary 7:30 p.m. Sunday (10-11-09) Roper and Sons Chapel, 4300 "O" Street. Funeral Mass 1 p.m. Monday (10-12-09) Cathedral of the Risen Christ, 3500 Sheridan Blvd. Msgr. Robert Tucker officiating. Burial in Calvary Cemetery. Memorials to The Pearle Francis Finigan Foundation, 6321 "A" Street, Lincoln, Nebraska 68510. Visitation 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday at Roper and Sons, 4300 "O" Street. Condolences or personal reflections may be sent online at www.roperandsons.com

the Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Thursday, October 8, 2009 3:00 am |

Sad Times

I know it's been a long time since I posted. Probably the longest hiatus ever. I probably wouldn't be posting yet, except I got a PM at Stitcher's Guild that told me that my blog had a password on it now and she couldn't read it. I had put no password on anything, so I looked, and there's some kind of a sign-in thing from a group I know nothing about called "thick data". I have no idea how it got there, and I just closed that box and everything went on as normal, so I hope that's how it works for you.

I have never talked about much here except sewing and textile subjects, as well as a little on food, flowers, etc. I thought that was plenty, and I just didn't want to get into personal stuff. But now is the time, I think.

Pearle has been having health problems for some time, and we came home from the hospital just about 2 weeks ago, and he's on hospice now. I'm spending all my time with him, as you might expect. We're still working out the routine, and I'm hoping I'll eventually get some free hours here and there, but it's hard to tell. Things change suddenly.

I'm doing a little knitting on things I already had going, but I just don't seem to have the concentration necessary to plan anything new. Luckily it's going to take me a while to finish Alex's cabled sweater, and the lace hemp shell I'm doing. Then we'll see. Embroidery seems to have an attraction suddenly, but as I said, I'm not getting any planning done.

I have to put in a plug for the hospice program. They are simply wonderful, and I can't imagine how we would be getting on without them. It would be pretty tragic.

Blue Rose Nightgown

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The photo above is of the nightgown I came up with after seeing this darling babydoll set from Jesus Fernandez.



As soon as I saw this, I knew it was a style I would really like. I have plenty of wide stretch lace in pretty colors and patterns from a Fabric Depot Value Pack, and so I went trolling through my stash of suitable fabric to see what would make a good combination. This is a very light, sheer mesh knit with a rose print. It was something I bought online that was. not what I'd expected, and I couldn't really imagine what I might do with it, but I put it away in case anything ever came to mind.

Since I wanted quite a bit of fullness in the skirt/body, I knew I needed something extremely light. Sheer just came along for the ride in this case. Mine is longer than the inspiration piece, and I made panties to match, but not in all lace. The front is lined with a silver tricot, which rather disappears under the print.
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The only other things I added were black satin ribbon and some blue rosettes.

Here's a better photo of the fabric.
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Russian Crochet & Cake

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Deirdre was kind enough to send me some Russian crochet magazines that we had talked about on Stitcher's Guild, and I spent last night poring over them. I actually went and found some thread and hooks at about 2am before realizing that it was a little late at night to begin to polish my rusty crocheting skills. I am still thinking furiously about all the things shown in these issues. (Click on the photo link above, and on Original size below the photo on Pbase, and you can see much more detail.)

The collar on the top at the far right is so gorgeous, and I honestly can't tell if it's crochet or needle lace or a combination of the two. The instructions show the outlines drawn on a numbered grid, unlike anything else in these issues. Perhaps it's done that way just to make sure the free-form shape is correct for a collar. There is some amazing needle lace and hardanger besides crochet in these, and most of the instructions are just charts of the stitch motifs with no indication of the garment shaping, unless it's in the short written parts. A challenge, to be sure.

I also really like the lace bodice of the dress in the middle. There are a lot of things shown with motif groups placed here and there on garments. I especially seem drawn to the things where they have a mixture of techniques, styles, or scale. All in all, they're very interesting and thought provoking.

When I got to the instruction part in the first magazine I looked at, I immediately wished my grandmother could have seen these. She was a prolific crocheter who loved the fine-thread crochet with tiny needles. I'm lucky enough to have a tablecloth she made for my mother, and I remember when she sent it to the State Fair by mail, and received it back afterward along with the ribbons and rosettes she had won. It was judged to be just about perfect. None of us were surprised, as she didn't stand for anything less, and would redo something until it was just right. In my mind's eye I can see her looking at these patterns and working them out in her head while her hand would be going through the motions necessary, like a violinist or pianist fingering in the air while reading a score. She didn't teach me to crochet, my other grandmother did that, but Grandma Bergman left me her work ethic when it came to needlework, and I'm very glad.

I'll leave you with what I hope is a mouthwatering photo of a wonderful dessert. I have found my favorite chocolate cake. A Duncan Hines Butter Recipe Golden Cake mix with 3/4 cup Baking Cocoa and 4tsp. Splenda added. It's so dark and rich. This was just a stopgap because I didn't have a chocolate cake mix, but now I'm doing it on purpose. The real find is Raspberry Ice Cream with it. Just delicious!

Interesting Things

Lots of disparate things happening on the textile front around here. Fabric and yarn have been arriving from various points,and there's been knitting and even some sewing done. And for a finale, I fixed my washing machine's water level knob. That was highly satisfactory.

I got some Canapone hemp yarn from elann.com the other day, and am doing a remake of a pattern I really like. It's Louet's Lily shell, and I made it in Louet's Euroflax. This is a much more economical choice, and the feel seems to be just about the same. It's on size 0 (2mm) needles, in the round, and I'm about an inch and a half in.

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I also got some Filatura di Crosa Esotico from them.

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I finished the body on Alex's cabled sweater and now need to begin the sleeves, but I think I will have no trouble finishing before Christmas.
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I've ordered fabric from several places lately, and although I'm not doing anything with them yet, I have plans (of course) for them. First was the Indigo Floral and Taupe Modern Gab from Fashion Sewing Group.
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I'm planning a tunic with the floral, and pants with the gabardine.

Elliott Berman's is having a sale, and I snagged a lovely piece of rayon blend Chiffon. I'm always an easy mark for plaids, and I like this very much. I will probably become a blouse or even a dress since I have plenty.
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And finally, here's my progress on the Marfy 1949 Skirt.

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I think the fabric color shown is fairly true, at least on my monitor. I like the piping on the edge of the pocket, carried on to the waist seam. The waistband is only basted on, and nothing is really pressed yet. You can see the silk organza underlining showing at the hem edge. The basting stitches show the hemline. I'm really pleased with how this is turning out, but I'm not going to rush. It's been a fun project so far.

Knitting Magazines

The new Vogue Knitting came the other day, and I have to say it's the best one I've seen for a while. Several of the patterns really appeal to me and may even get knitted by me.

These photos are from the VK site, and only shown in a group. The first two, the coat and jumper are both nicely shaped, and seem very wearable. The jumper I like especially, and I suppose it's the cables that caught my eye.


I like the bobble cardigan (3rd photo) too, and the cardigan with the horizontal cable (5th photo) is pretty cute, too.

I ordered a couple magazines from elann with a yarn order. They're both Burda publications. Anna is a varied craft magazine, but almost all needlework. I got a few issues quite a few years ago and then I think they weren't available here anymore. Now they're touting their NEW magazine, so I'm hoping it's going to be similar since I decided to subscribe. They always had much nicer, more professional looking patterns and projects than similar US magazines.


The other magazine is Verena, a knitting publication. I'm not subscribing, although I would if I didn't already have so many coming. Maybe it will replace another one someday.

Both magazines offer both printed and online subscriptions. I wonder if this is a coming trend? I hope they don't quit the physical magazines, as there's just nothing nicer than having it come in the mail and being able to pick it up and take it with you. They do include quite a few extra patterns and features online that you can get whichever way you get the regular magazine, and I'm not complaining about that. More is always better.

Vanilla Meringue Set

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I've not been doing much sewing lately, more knitting, and fabric and yarn buying, but I finally decided I wanted a light-colored bra, and I wanted it to be lightweight and cool, so I thought I'd try it without powernet lining in the lower cup pieces. I used the Panache pattern for this, with non-stretch lace yardage over tricot for the cups, and lace over powernet for the band. I started with white tricot, cream lace, pink straps and all the other bra findings white, and dyed them all slightly with Taupe Rit dye. I added a little Rose to the Taupe for the lace. As usual, the elastics take the dye most quickly, and I like the counterpoint of the slightly darker elastic with the pale lace and tricot. As always, if you click on the photo links, you can get a much more detailed look at the photos.

I've gotten to really like having lingerie sets, and I made 2 pair of panties to match this bra. They're different, and this one's my favorite.
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Both the ruffled stretch lace on the legs and the plain at the waist on these are from my Fabric Depot 'grab bag' of lace. They're both really soft.

Here's a close-up of the bra.
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Marfy 1949 Skirt Progress & Thank You

First of all, I just want to thank all of you who were so kind as to help me celebrate my article in Threads Magazine. It's been so great to read all the well-wishes, and sharing it with you has been almost the best part of the whole thing. I expect to see lots of matching shoes now. Vicki, this means you!

Now on to current projects. I thought you might be interested in seeing the layout for the Marfy skirt I'm working on.
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This is the main skirt piece, and as you can see it's on the bias. Yes, I did iron the pattern before I laid it out, but I thread traced it and was ready to cut and had folded the pattern back up, then decided to take a photo. You can sort of see where I altered it, just at the CB top, tapering to nothing at the hem. I have a very high hip, and the draping didn't fall nicely until I got a little extra room where I need it instead of the usual 7"-9" below the waist. The only other changes I'm making is doing the waistband about half as wide as the original. I just don't have room for a wide waistband, and truth to tell, this one at half-width looks pretty wide on me.

I'm underlining with silk organza, and it's been a challenge to get it together smoothly when it's all on the bias. Hand sewing and a lot of pins have been the only thing that works. I've got everything cut out except the bias strips I'm going to use to make piping.

You can also get a pretty good look at the fabric I'm using for this. It's Pendleton wool in a very light weight. I think it has a butterscotch color to it, and I think the fabric is going to be great for this draped skirt.

Just to end on a weird note, I've been missing about 8 or 9 everyday teaspoons for a while now. I could not imagine where they went, as no one's been here, I haven't taken any silverware out of the house, and while I suppose I might possibly throw away a spoon accidentally, nine of them at once seemed unlikely. I didn't really dig through things hunting, as I was sure they'd show up fairly soon. After all, how far could they have gone? I finally found them the other day when I looked in the china closet and there they were in the spoon holder for my silver tea service. I had used them when I had club last, and then stuck the holder with the spoons still in it, into the china closet. I usually use the silver spoons with the tea set, and I don't know why I didn't this time, but I made myself a lot of trouble. Anyway, I was really pleased to find them.

I'm in Threads Magazine!

Yes, I'm tooting my own horn a little (a lot!) but I'm so excited to say that I have an article in Threads Magazine this month.

My article is called Custom Covered Shoes, and it's about covering shoes to match your clothing, or whatever you want to match.


It all began in January when I got an email from a Threads assistant editor asking me to contact them. I was very excited to learn that they had seen some of my shoes in photos I had posted, and they were interested in having me do an article about how to do them. So, it's been a long time coming, but there was a lot to do, what with writing, rewriting, editing, photos, sending them my shoes and some matching garments, like the blouse in the photo, etc. It was always exciting when I got a letter or email from them. Everyone I worked with was so very professional, and so nice. It was a joy from beginning to end, and now to see it in print and get to share it with all of you is almost the best part of all.

The very end of the article shows my favorite shoe of all. It's a silk matka with fiber embellishments that were great fun to do, and I have a Marfy jacket that matches it, and here's the cover of this issue.

Melange

As my title suggests, there are a lot of disparate items in this post. From sewing to books to soap, I'm putting it all in here.

If you are a regular reader of Stitcher's Guild, you'll already know that I also asked there for advice on underlining my skirt, and among several answers got a very thoughtful question from Ann Rowley. She wondered if this fabric was really right for this design. It made me stop and think, and after some testing, I decided that she was right. I'm so glad she stopped me before I made a terrible error and wasted that gorgeous fabric.

I've been searching the inventory and have almost positively decided on a fabric which seems much more suitable. It's a Pendleton wool plain in a pinky-beige/cream/brown combination. It's a very fine, lightweight fabric that seems to drape beautifully on the bias. I will almost certainly underline it with something, but I haven't started testing that yet. I need to make a muslin from my corrected pattern and make sure it's just right before I start on the real thing.

Meanwhile, I sewed another pair of pants last night while procrastinating from some bookwork I should have been doing.

I have enjoyed looking at the various styles that Sigrid has put in her Inspiration file, and I thought it would be fun to try to copy these.

While I didn't get a perfect copy by any means, I'm fairly well pleased with these, and I know there are a few things I'd try next time if I do another pair. Photo Link The original has a 2-layer front piece, and this may help form the top bands a little more easily. I also would make the top band area wider so I had more to work with. Generally, I think they're kind of cute, though. The lace is some that I have had for years, waiting for a suitable project.

I was thrilled to find that several of you also have a fond feeling for The Encyclopedia of Needlework by Therese de Dillmont, which I discussed in the last post. I have ordered my own copy since then, and was able to get what I hope is going to be the exact edition my mother has. There are lots of reprints available, but I wanted an original. Miaaa, It was so interesting to hear that you have your grandmother's copy too!

My sister, who's very smart of course, is contributing two items to this post. First, she found the Encyclopedia of Needlework online in its entirety. Someone has posted it all, so if an online version will make you happy, it's here. The illustrations are very nice and clear, and there's a nice index, so it should be very usable.

Encyclopedia of Needlework Online

She also told me how to refill my foaming handsoap dispenser. In case you have one, you don't have to buy a new bottle every time. Just use the regular liquid handsoap and mix it with water in about a 1:3 ratio of soap:water. Stir well, and that's it. So instead of paying more for less soap and more water, just refill. Maybe everyone else already knew this, but I sure didn't.

Decisions, Decisions

I got my skirt muslin altered satisfactorily, I think, and I'm going to test it in muslin one more time, but now I'm thinking about what I'm going to use for underlining for this skirt. I'm seriously thinking about using muslin, and I'm wondering if this would be a huge mistake.

The skirt fabric itself is slightly stiff, and has plenty of body. The underlining is going to provide a nicer 'bend' to the fabric when it needs it. I don't think organza is indicated at all. The skirt will have to be lined with such a non-slip underlining, but I would almost certainly have lined it anyway, so that is neither here nor there. It's no more non-slip than batiste would be, and that would be another choice. Do I need to get actual batiste, or could this be an acceptable substitute. This is a fairly thin muslin, and is a nice smooth fabric, much like sheeting, and since the entire skirt is on the bias with only the one seam, it needs to be something fairly light that can be supported mostly from the waistband alone.

I will try to post something soon on the elastic and findings dyeing I've been doing. Those who asked whether the general sewing of the things is time consuming will be glad to know that the answer is no. The panties especially are very fast, and the bras go surprisingly quickly as well.

I brought a book home from my mother's yesterday. I remember it always being in our home, and although it's promised to my sister, I brought it home to read and look through again. It's Encyclopedia of Needlework by Therese de Dillmont, published by DMC. There's no copyright date on it, but the British Library says 1907. It's just the size to put in a workbag, being about 3"x5" and almost 2" thick. Looking it over last night, I think I may have to get a reprint for myself. It has everything from plain sewing to needle and bobbin lace, tapestry, knitting, netting, just anything to do with needlework. I was very surprised to find separate instructions for handsewing buttonholes in linen and in dress materials. I like vintage sewing books, and I have a special feeling for this one.

Here's the first waterlily of the season. I was very surprised to see it as I hadn't even noticed the bud, and suddenly there was a beautiful flower.

Another Lingerie Set

I made another bra and panty set Sunday from a different pattern than I've used before. This one was copied from a ready-to-wear bra by Panache, and I think it turned out nicely. It has a horizontal top piece instead of the angled style of the Freya copy, and it gives a different look, and a little different shape I think.

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I tried several different techniques with this bra. I used a spaghetti strap attachment for the main strap, a detail that caught my eye in an advertisement, and which I've been anxious to try.

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Since I'd made a lot of spaghetti tubing to do the straps, I thought I'd use some of it as embellishment, and liked the little roses I came up with. I used one at each strap attachment point, one at CF, and one on a pair of matching panties I made.
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I used the print under the lace on the top cup piece, which gives it more stability than the lace alone. All the other pieces are lined with powernet. Although it looks like there's a wrinkle in the bridge, that disappears when it's worn.

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The 6" wide stretch lace and the brown lycra are both from my Fabric Depot bundles, and the print is something I had on hand, originally thinking I'd make a tank top or something, and I still have plenty left. It's a soft mesh knit. I dyed all the elastic, the strapping and the closure to match the main print color.

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These are the two pairs of panties I made to match this bra. I have enough stuff to make several more of one design or another. The pair on the left uses the full width of the lace, and for the the other, I trimmed the lace to about 2 1/2", or the width of one set of motifs. I still am very happy with the no-elastic look on the legs, so I'm continuing to use the style.

There are a few more photos here.

Thrills and Chills

Isn't it fun when sewing gets really exciting again? I keep plugging away, and although I always enjoy it and wouldn't quit for anything, every now and then I just get thrilled with an idea or a little progress on something, and suddenly I'm on a high with no ceiling in sight. Yesterday it happened with a skirt I'm working on.

I thought I was getting a little stuck on lingerie, and I ought to work on something else, like how about one of this season's Marfy patterns I bought? I thought I'd start with this skirt, Marfy #1949.
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I knew I was probably going to have to enlarge the pattern a little at least because most Marfy patterns have almost no ease, and I didn't want a really form-fitting skirt. Also since this pattern has only one seam, at CB, is cut on the bias, and has no dart shaping, and only one partial side seam in the pocket, a muslin was a necessity. Actually, the pattern pieces had me stymied for a while because there are so many waistband pieces. There are 6 waistband pieces. One for the front, one for left back, one for the right back, and inner pieces for each of these, so the band has a seam at the top. Then there is a front and back piece that go between the waistband and the skirt to form the pocket, and of course a pocket bag front. It's a beautifully made pattern, but it took me a while to lay it out so I could figure out what was going on. Then it seemed perfectly logical.

So, I was working on this pattern, and also trying to think about what fabric I would use. I wanted to use a plaid or check as shown in the drawing, but what? Suddenly light dawned, and I thought of a piece I got from Elliott Berman's sale, and the perfection of the combination just thrilled me.
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I had originally thought of a skirt from it, but nothing specific, and this seemed perfect. I checked, and I think I will have enough. I have about a yard and a half. Luckily, there's no matching necessary, except on the waistband if i want it there, and since there's gathering on the skirt, it won't match perfectly there anyway. I hope it's going to turn out as well as I think it could.

Meanwhile, I haven't quit on the lingerie thing either. It's almost instant gratification sewing, and mixing the colors, fabric, laces, etc. is so much fun, and unlike anything else I do. I have another set in mind, and have copied another RTW bra for a different style, so I will try that.

Jeans Again, Finally

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I've been without any jeans for quite a while now, and I've been meaning to make another pair, but just wasn't getting to it. Finally, I cut them out and sewed them up, and I don't know why I waited. They're just what I need for what I call 'wearing around', which is my main wardrobe need right now. With the gardening season truly upon us, I think these are just in time. Here's a side view.

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Nothing new, special or fancy about these. It's my usual Burda TNT pattern and I think it's actually the same denim I used in the last pair I made about 2 years ago. I bought a whole bunch of denim several years ago and used a lot of it for tractor seat covers, car seat protectors, and anything I needed a big piece of heavy fabric for. I have enough left for probably one more pair of pants, and that's about it. Unlike the last pair, I didn't put on back pockets (I don't think I ever used those pockets anyway) and I didn't do any interesting topstitching on these, where on the last pair I used variegated thread and had a good time doing it. This time I just wanted pants to wear, in a hurry. I did do my usual size zipper, with a pocket stay and side pockets on both sides.

Besides the jeans, I'm participating in Sigrid's Lingerie Sew Along, and I've made another couple pairs of panties. These are truly getting addictive.

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These are a plaid mesh knit that I've had on hand for several years, and some stretch lace from my FabricDepot collection.

Finally, here's a photo of my garden that I took yesterday.
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Camisole Set

Continuing on my lingerie-sewing kick, I did a couple more pairs of panties and a camisole. I've never found a camisole pattern I was very crazy about, but I have kept my eyes open, and finally noticed some reviews of #128 from the December, 2008 issue of Burda WOF. I traced it the other night, decided I'd try it with a size 44 in the front and a 40 in the back, a trick I use with knitting patterns a lot. It turned out nice, and although I think I may add a little length to the bodice front next time, it's pretty cute as is. Here it is with one of the pants that match it.

Photo Link It's quite a thin mesh knit print, but the color and print make it seem fairly opaque. The bodice is doubled, as per the pattern instructions. This pattern has a longer version shown as a nightgown, which could be very nice.

Here are the other 2 pairs of panties I made.
Photo Link For these two I tried a method I saw in a review of a Jalie pattern. That pattern calls for hemmed leg edges with no elastic. The reviewer left the cut edge raw for a flatter finish, and seemed to be very pleased. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, so I did two pairs this way. I can always go back and put elastic on them if I decide to. I wore one pair, and I have to say I was surprised how they stayed put, and were very comfortable, and cute, too. I'm going to give it a longer test, but so far, I think it's a success.

The stretch laces on these are all from the group I got from Fabric Depot, and I like the way they look and feel. The white/gold panty matches one of the bras I made. Part of the fun of these is thinking of small embellishments or decorations for them. Of this group of three, my favorite is the 2 small knots.

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Here are some details of the camisole including the shell-edge hem, and the bows over the strap placement.

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And here it is on me.

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