An Announcement - Stitcher's Guild

In case you noticed the new link I added to my sidebar, this will explain what it is. It's a link to a Bulletin Board (discussion site) called Stitcher's Guild.

If you're a regular Sewing World participant or reader, you have probably noticed that SW seems to be becoming more unstable all the time. Threads are unable to continue to their former length, more and more often a white screen appears while trying to access the site, things disappear without warning more than once a year, and the Search feature, which was never too great, no longer works at all.

Over the last couple years, I have become practically addicted to Sewing World, and especially to the Sharing, Inspiration and Project Photos thread. I knew others felt very much the same, and when Kathryn (fzxdoc) seemed to also be looking for a solution so that everyone could regroup in case of a Sewing World crash, I was very pleased. We put our heads together and have been working for a while on this.

What we have come up with (with the extremely generous help of DragonLady) is SWRefuge, (now renamed Stitcher's Guild) a wonderful board where we can all regroup if necessary, or anytime actually. If you use the link above or on the sidebar, you will find a lovely board with very modern features. We hope that you'll like it as much as we do.

I want to introduce and say a special word of thanks to DragonLady. You may remember her from her posts on SW, and she was also very aware of its problems. She runs a couple other boards and is very experienced at it, and was willing to quickly solve our problems. We have been overwhelmed by her kindness and her expertise.

So, that's the scoop, and I hope this explanation is clear and complete. Kathryn and I have emailed a similar explanation to those SW posters for whom we happen to have email addresses, and it will also be posted on SW. We want to be very aboveboard, and hope that you will all realize that we've done this from our hearts, not to gain any sort of advantage (and what that advantage would be, I don't know).

(3-27-06 This post edited to reflect the new board name and URL. All links are now correct for the new site.)

Snow Day Sewing

Yes, winter has returned with a vengeance, and we're supposed to get up to 12" of snow by Tuesday. I know I didn't order this, so who can we blame?

I decided to use a Marfy jacket pattern that I haven't made before for the Seafoam Silk Matka, shown in the previous post. It's very similar to 9419, but has a one piece front with a vertical dart instead of princess seams. The backs are the same. I like the alterations I did to the 9419 (shortening above the bust on the sidefront and sideback) and found that I could just overlay those pieces onto this pattern to get the same changes. So far, so good, but I realized after cutting the second front that I forgot to do the overlay on it. Luckily, I cut large seam allowances, so I'll be able to make the change after the fact. Very annoying, however! I'm also changing the sleeves from 3/4 to full length, and using the 9419 sleeve patterns entirely, as they're exactly the same except for my alteration. I won't be doing the appointed lace overlay on this jacket; it will be plain, with a button front.

I finished the front of the cable/bobble sweater last night, and cast on for the first sleeve, so that's going well. I find that I have to quit around midnight or 1am lately, as I am losing stamina or something. Maybe all my late nights are catching up with me. With this weather, I should have plenty of daylight hours to work, though.

Green for St. Patrick's Day

I realized after I took this photo that these fabrics are all in the green family, loosely speaking anyway.

I think I really missed doing the SWAP this year, and I have tried since doing the first and second year's contests, to think about my wardrobe and sewing possibilities with "SWAP-Vision" at all times, rather than just making things I like, but which may have no "friends".

I've been thinking about my next project, which I think will be a version of the jacket in the post just previous to this, but not in the fabric I had originally planned. That fabric suddenly became the centerpiece of a completely different outfit, and much better there than here. So, it was back to square one on this, and I decided to really look at my stash.

I came up with the 3 fabrics you see above. The center piece is a Silk Matka from FabricMart, which will be the jacket. The Embroidered Silk Organza at the top is from EmmaOneSock, and will be a Little Blouse with button front, tie collar, and possibly cap sleeves of some sort. The bottom fabric is a silky polyester landscape border print from JoAnn's that I just fell in love with. It will be a skirt. I'm kind of excited about the whole group, and I have various other fabrics that can step in as pants or other pieces too, so I'm feeling as if my spring wardrobe is at least taking shape. None too soon, either, although it's supposed to snow this weekend, perhaps a lot.

Flowered Marfy Jacket

This is the test version of the free Marfy jacket pattern included in the Spring 2006 catalog. I thought it was a very nice, basic jacket pattern with some cute style details, and I think it turned out fairly well.

I plan to make it in a much softer, handwoven type fabric next, and I will use long sleeves, and instead of the fabric binding, I will use a braid trim, and just turn the binding to the inside for a nice edge. I may use self fabric for the binding, or I may try something else.

I need to try to figure out something that goes with this floral jacket. The pink skirt is not quite the right color, and I'm seriously thinking about using some fabric paints to change the band color somewhat. It actually looks pretty cute with jeans, so it may be just a throw-on jacket for spring. It looks pretty Eastery to my eye, though, so we'll see what happens.

This is the illustration for this pattern. The skirt and top patterns are also given with the catalog, and I think they're pretty cute, too.

Marfy 9828

Spring Jacket

This is a heavyweight cotton print that I'm using as a test for the free Marfy jacket pattern that was in the Spring 2006 catalog. It's a princess-seamed cardigan-style jacket with 3/4 sleeves, contrasting front edge and sleeve bands and single welt pockets in pink. The sleeve bands have a slit which is banded also. That's what's giving me the trouble right now. I'm just doing it as I go along, and I should have made a real plan. I think it will be fine when I'm done; it's just taking some time to get the details right. I like the fit so far, and am hoping I will be able to use this pattern with an interesting silk fabric that I have. I think I will do full length sleeves on it, however.

I took my Silky Wool knitting along to an appointment yesterday, and ended up spending 2 hours in the waiting room, which would have been great knitting time, except I forgot to bring the chart I needed to start the body pattern on the front, so all I got done was a row and a half, which finished the bobble pattern at the bottom. What a waste.

Well....Who Knew?

This is just a weird, weird, funny thing. You may know that when you begin to have "mature" eyesight, small print can be a challenge, and you may end up guessing a little now and then. This usually works out well, since by the time you need to start guessing, you have lots of experience reading, and it's often pretty obvious what some "mystery" word is.

Once in a while though, mistakes are made. If you look at the page of music below, you'll see that it's from a choral version of a spiritual called "Elijah Rock." It's a very old arrangement, written in dialect, and in fact we did it when I was in high school, so I knew what the words were. When we ran through it in church choir this winter, a fellow soprano got a wondering look on her face when we came to this page, and asked questioningly, "Satan's a librarian?" Look below, and you'll see what she saw.

  

I've resisted posting this for a while, as it's not sewing related at all, but every time I think of it, I laugh, so why shouldn't we all enjoy? My personal modus operandi is to not hear exactly what someone said, and then I guess. That can be very entertaining, too.

Fabric Bonanza

I've been resisting new fabric purchases for some time, but when the dam broke, it was a real washout! You can see larger versions of these photos at my Fabric & Findings gallery at Pbase. The first 3 photos are fabrics that I've ordered from FabricMart.

I am hoping to make a long jacket from this metallic embossed cotton.


I want to use the giraffe for a longish, straight jacket, and the faux leather/suede for a top to go under it, with a bateau-neck, CF seam split at the top for a few inches. I hope to emulate a designer look. Otherwise, it may just be the giraffe effect, all by itself.





The 3 knits are from Timmel Fabric. The first two will be my old reliable Jalie Tees, and the last is a very interesting knit. It looks like an applied lace on a sheer, and I plan a twinset. I may use the new Jalie twinset pattern, or else Nancy Erickson's twinset pattern, in the shorter length.







Many, many plans, as usual. I should get to it instead of just talking about it!

New Fabric / Old Machine

It's been quite a week. We went to the Pendleton Outlet in Nebraska City on Friday, and I did very well. They have wonderful fabric, and various sewing notions as well. I bought 5 lengths of fabric, all wool.


This is a fairly heavy wool jacquard with a lovely pattern in blue and taupe. I have vague jacket plans for it, although I got enough that I could probably do a coatdress if I wanted to.



This wonderful double-cloth wool is quite heavy, and I think an outerwear jacket is its probably destination. It's woven in panels 32" long, and is reversible. You can see both sides in the photo on the right.












I prefer the right side, at least for now. It's so much softer looking than the left, although the left has a more visibly detailed pattern.


These two are both featherweight worsted wool plaids, and they are so lightweight it's hard to believe they're wool. They will be shirts for Pearle. You can see the lovely drape in the blue photo.




I've also been looking for a very nice, tropical weight worsted wool in a dark brown, and here it is. My favorite dark brown wool pants were ready to go away, and now I can replace them. I bought enough for a skirt or jacket as well. I really think it won't be the jacket, as I don't need a basic brown jacket very badly. This wool is the only one that has a little lycra in it. Really very little, I hope. It doesn't stretch much, so maybe it will be all right anyway. I just really have come to almost hate stretch wovens most of the time.


(If you want to see larger, more detailed photos of these fabrics, please go to my Fabrics & Findings Gallery at Pbase.)

So, a very successful trip. I got some sleeve heads and interior binding as well as some invisible zippers.

The other thrilling thing, is that I finally got my Elna back from the sewing machine repairman. They had to order a very small part, and of course, the parts places aren't in any hurry. It's great to have it home again, although I've enjoyed renewing my acquaintance with my Kenmore. I think I'll leave it open for a while too, as it's very handy for some things, and I do love its chainstitch!

Scallop Hem Skirt

I made this Jalie Tee in December from a Caramel/Copper rayon ribknit, and cut out a skirt at the same time. I finally got the skirt done the other night, and decided to cut the hem off with the scallop blade I got for my larger rotary cutter. I think it turned out pretty cute, and it's such a thin knit (probably too thin for a skirt, really) that I was afraid a hem might make it hang very strangely. I did hem the Tee with Steam-A-Seam, and it's okay, but I was kind of in the "deconstruction" mood right now anyway, so thought I'd do something radical. Here's a close up.



We went to the Pendleton outlet in Nebraska City this morning, the only one left since the Bellevue one closed last year. It's smaller, but still has great stuff. I got quite a haul. I will take photos soon, and let you all drool with me, while I gloat!

Cable Sweater Back

I finished the back of the Cable/Bobble Sweater on Friday, and am now on the 3rd repeat of the bobble pattern on the front. I'm rather pleased with the way it looks, and I think it's going to be a nice sweater when it's done. I'm not tired of the pattern yet, and I don't mind doing all those bobbles, which I was warned about. I did have to make my own chart for the body stitches, simply because it was so excruciatingly tiny in the magazine. Mine covers a little more than two legal-size sheets taped together lengthwise, so it's much easier to see.

Here's a close up of the second stitch pattern from the outside, and it shows the color a little more truly.



I also finally finished the Deep Caramel rib-knit skirt tonight that I cut out in December to go with a Jalie Tee, which I finished in December. I decided to take a discussion about deconstruction to heart a little bit, and instead of hemming, I just used a large rotary cutter with a scalloping wheel to trim the hem edge. I think it's kind of cute, really. And, if I get tired of it, I can always hem it more conventionally. It's a cute skirt and I like it, but it's really a little lightweight for a skirt. I always wear a slip with these skirts anyway, so it's no problem, but I really think a useful resolution for me would be to watch the weight of knit fabrics a little more closely. It would save a lot of trouble.

Coral Skirt & Tee

I finished the Coral Lace-Knit Skirt last night that I planned as a companion piece to the Coral Floral Tee. You can see another photo of it here. I used my tried and true FFF skirt pattern. It's a plain, straight skirt pattern for knits with your choice or 1 through 4 seams. I usually make it with 4 seams, but I decided to cut the CF on a fold because of the lace pattern. I also added a little width to the CF as I wanted a little more width in the skirt rather than the extra-slim shape I usually make. I like it quite a lot, and I think it works wonderfully with the Tee. I also like the hip sash, which ties it all together nicely, but it's also okay without it. The only thing I am disappointed in, is that I wish I had bought enough of the lace for a pair of pants. I think it would be really cute, and very summery. I'm sure Textile Studios is out of it though, as it was last fall when I bought this fabric.

I originally had thought I'd like a godet at the side seam, and I put one in. Of course it went in perfectly, because it looked just awful! Very much like a small rag had attached itself to my skirt. Needless to say, away it went! I often think I should do things that are a little more daring, but the classics seem to be what looks best on me. At least, that's what I think. Maybe I'm just stuck in a small rut.

Sewing for a Change

I said I was feeling like I needed to do a little sewing, and I decided to finally whip up two Jalie Tees that have been on the list for a while, and that I want for spring. I bought some neat knit prints from Textile Studios, and just hadn't gotten to them. As you can see, one is a french exterior print, and the other is a coral floral. At the same time, I bought a floral lace knit in a dull coral, which is a two-layer knit, so it's not really sheer, although I will wear a slip with it, which I think will make a nice spring combination with the floral tee.

After I said I felt the urge to do a little sewing, I immediately felt like knitting, but after an hour or so, Mr. Peep, the assistant cat, laid firmly on my chart. I took this as a sign that I had better get to the sewing. I'm glad I did, but I did get some knitting done afterward too. I'm about halfway up the armscye on the back of the Silky Wool Cable/Bobble Sweater.


This sweater was the third thing, and second sweater I ever knitted. I still really like it, but it's much too big now. It's a Vogue Knitting pattern, #10 from the Spring/Summer 1993 issue. I knitted it in 1994 with Paton's Cotton DK. The color was Light Khaki, and it has since been dyed mauve. If you go to a clearer sweater photo, you can see short-row darting on the front at the beginning of the armscye. This was my first try on darts, too, and I think it was quite intrepid of me to do this on a patterned sweater for the first time. Perhaps I didn't know enough to realize it should be hard. As I look at the pattern again, I see that it also is rated "Experienced" which I most certainly was not. The yarn I used was Paton's Cotton DK, and after all this time, much wear, quite a few washings, and being packed away for a couple years, I think the cotton yarn has held up remarkably well. It was recommended by a LYS owner, and I'm very pleased that she guided me toward it. The more I look at the pattern, and remember how much fun it was to knit, the more I am thinking that I should make one again. I'll have to see if the feeling persists.

Silky Wool Progress

Click to view larger.


Here's my progress on the back of the VK Winter 01/02-#25 Cabled/Bobbled sweater in Silky Wool. I'm rather pleased with it. It's a very complex thing to knit just because all the different patterns have different row repeats, and so although the chart goes up to Row 40, as that's the longest repeat, the shortest repeat is 16 rows, I think. When I go past Row 40, I have to see where to equate with Row 1 of the 40 row pattern, and then add the prescribed amount to get the row number of that pattern. I definitely have to sit and have the chart where I can see it while I knit.

This afternoon I took a break and cut out a couple of Jalie Tees. I got some cute knit prints from Textile Studios and have been wanting to get them made up. One is a coral on white floral and the other is a pink with black line drawings of French sidewalk cafés and exteriors. I hope to sew them tomorrow.

Like Aged Stonework

Click on photos to enlarge.

Here's most of the bobble panel for my Silky Wool Cabled Sweater. I really like the way it's looking. It reminds me very strongly of ancient, weathered stonework whose carvings have been worn to softness. It's going rather quickly, and the bobbles have been fun, although originally I worried that I would get sick to death of doing them. They go very well, especially now that I've pretty much memorized the pattern. That helps amazingly, and although it didn't seem like it at the beginning, it is a pattern that makes sense, thus making it that much easier to memorize. I have about 5 more rows before I begin the body patterns. I want to make a new chart before I do that, as the one they have given is so very tiny, and there are some corrections that need to be made. I think a new, larger chart is just the ticket. Here's a close up of the bobble pattern.

Another Yarn Dilemma - Solved

The top sample is my gauge and sample swatch of the Bobble pattern in Silky Wool. The lower sample is from a sample skein sent by elann.com (Click on the photo for a larger, more detailed view.) It's about half wool/half microfiber, which was a combination that I had originally thought might be good for this sweater. Everything about it looked good, except the color, but they have others. I really thought I might switch after I did the sample last night, but looking at it both in person and in the photos, I really believe I'll stay with the silky wool. It just has a little more interesting look to it.

You probably notice the difference between the lower bobble pattern in the top swatch and the second repeat above it. I was not happy with the way my bobbles looked, even with several suggestions to slip the first stitch on each row, etc. I finally remembered to look in my June Hemmons Hiatt Principles of Knitting book, and of course, she has the answer to this, as well as almost anything else you'd ever want to know about knitting, and a lot of things I didn't know existed. She has a Better Bobble method.* As you can see, the good bobbles all stand up like soldiers, and look very uniform. The other methods lead to bobbles which are shy and retiring. Bold bobbles; that's what we want!

I started on the back again last night, and it's slow going so far. I have a stitch marker between each repeat, and I'm using some commercially-made ones which are okay, but I really wanted some made from straws. So, I snagged a couple straws from a restaurant yesterday, and I'll cut them into slices. That's my favorite type of marker. They're very flexible, lightweight and don't get in the way. Also, easily replaceable.


*Better Bobble Method
R1: YOinc3, turn
R2: P1, YOinc3, P1, turn
R3: K5, turn
R4: SSP*, P1, P2tog, turn
R5: Slip2kwtog, K1, PSSsO

(SSP involves slipping 2 knitwise separately, moving them back to the left needle, and purling them together through the back loop from left to right.)

And the winner is...Silky Wool

This is a tiny image of the color of Elsebeth Lavold's Silky Wool that I ordered for the Bobbled Sweater. It's called White Sands, and has just a hint of pink to it. I hope it's going to be everything I hope it will. Quite a few people on the Knitty Board seem to think it's very nice, and especially good for cables and stitch work, so that's encouraging. Elsebeth Lavold is known for her Viking Knitting patterns, which rely heavily on intricate cables, etc. so that also gives me hope. I'm kind of pleased with the color too, I think. Especially having just read an article in the Wall Street Journal about the fact that nude neutrals are making a big comeback, and pale, pale pink is one of the hot ones. So, even a fashionable color, besides one that appeals to me. What more can I ask? I got the yarn at Yarn Country and also ordered some Silky Tweed and a pattern book by Lavold.

I've been doing some spring cleaning, seemingly. January is a little early, but it is really nice weather, and when I'm in the mood to clean, I have to seize the day, because you never know when it may come again! The sewing area is getting a little overhaul too, and none too soon. I love it when it has a little more spacious look, and I was beginning to feel pretty boxed in.

The Spring Couture shows are over, and I really enjoyed all of them, except one. I have rarely seen a show which had absolutely nothing that appealed to me, but she managed to pull it off. Oh well, maybe next time. Now it's on to Fall Fashion Week in New York for the RTW shows.

Swatches and Swatches!

I've fallen in love with this Vogue Knitting pattern from the Winter 01/02 issue. It's supposed to be done in an extra-fine merino wool yarn. I had planned to use a lovely Harris tweed for it, and I did a swatch, and then started the back when the gauge appeared correct. The more I knitted, the more I was sure that the very subtly variegated yarn hides the stitch patterns. And, if you can't see the stitch patterns on this sweater, what's the point? Here's how it looks. Now that I look at it again, it doesn't look so bad, but I'm just not crazy about it. I love the yarn, but I guess not for this pattern.
And here's a close up.



I tried several wool yarns in various weights, as I thought maybe part of my problem was that the Harris yarn was too thin. No wool yarn that I tried seemed to have a similar look to the Vogue photo, and I began to think of other types of yarn. The latest thing I tried is some Cotton Gauze yarn. It's a tape yarn, and I don't think it's bad, although I would want a lighter color, which would make it more defined, I think. Here's a photo of the Cotton Gauze. I'm at the point now where I'm not sure if I really like it, or I'm just wishing I liked it because I'm tired of the whole controversy. Actually I do like it, I just worry that I'll wish I'd known about some other really great yarn choice that I should have used. So, any suggestions will be gratefully accepted.

Red Shrug

I was looking through a box of sweaters the other day, and came across a little shrug that I knitted in 2000 for my Grandmother. When she was gone, my aunt gave me back the things I'd made for her over the years. When I found this, I almost couldn't figure out what it was at first, and then I remembered it. Red was her very favorite color, and I made this from a yarn called Safari in a blend of red and black. It was perfect for her as she was always a little chilly, and it was easy to put on and have a little extra warmth over her shoulders. The pattern is by Fiber Trends, and is called Evening Shrug. There was a lot of short-row shaping, and it was knitted all in one piece so that when you were done, there were 3 stitches at each underarm to graft together. I decided I might as well wear it around the house anyway, as it really is nice and warm. It's not really my colors, but it's kind of fun. The shawl collar is a feature I like, compared to other shrug patterns I've seen. Here's a photo with the caramel wool pants and Koala shell.

Lace Wrap & Inside Zipper Pant Photo

I finished the Vogue Knitting Lace Wrap #24 from the 2005 Holiday edition. I think it turned out pretty well, and it's lovely and warm to wear. The colors are not nearly so clashing as you might suspect from the photos. It's longer than I think it really needs to be, and it isn't even as long as they say to make it. There are a few corrections to the pattern which are outlined on the Vogue Knitting website. I think it will be nice to wear over jackets. I used a cable needle for a shawl pin, and with a few stitches on the curve, it doesn't show or shine at all when it's holding the Wrap. You can see Catso here guarding it while I took the photo. It was a challenge to get the photo taken before he made another swipe at the shawl pin. Those feet are just very handy. It was fun to knit, and I'm almost sorry to be done with it, although I'm anxious to get started on a new project. There will be gauge swatches tonight if I have time!


I also took a photo of the inside of the latest side-zip Hollywood-waist pants showing the hook & eye, as requested. The inside is not as gorgeous as I could wish. I wasn't really planning it to be seen, and the lining has a "unique" application, which actually works well. Anyway, here is the inside photo. You can see a larger version at myPants Gallery at Pbase. I have the hems re-pinned and all ready to sew, but won't get to it tonight.

Melton Pants

Here are the matching Melton pants both with the Vogue 8123 jacket, and alone. I think they turned out quite nicely, although I'm thinking about lengthening them slightly so I can wear higher heels with them. They're lined, and have the Hollywood waistband I've become so enamored of. Pam Issacs-Erny calls it a Comfy Waistband, and it certainly is that. As you can see, it looks just fine with a top tucked in; not in the least like your average elastic waist pants, at least in my opinion.

I got really excited last night when I suddenly realized that I can make skirts with this same waistband treatment! Perhaps I am easily thrilled, but I have a RTW skirt that has a similar fit, and I've always liked it.

I had another revelation when I was working on the lining for these pants. I cut it first, as the lining fabric was still on the cutting table from the jacket. I then cut the Melton, but I sewed the lining first, and I realized that one could sew pant linings "on spec" as it were. I almost always use the same pants pattern, but even if I didn't, the lining would probably fit any pant that fit me. So, sometimes when I'm just dying to sew something, but really don't have a project in hand, this might be something to think of. How nice to have a lining all ready to go into a pair of pants at a moment's notice, too.

I have been doing my zippers a little differently with this waistband. This is an invisible zipper that goes to the top of the waist, and there is a small hook & eye set on the inside across the top of the band. This is very secure, and the zipper is truly invisible.