Llamas & Alpacas & Yarn, Oh My!

We are so lucky to have had the Grand National Llama & Alpaca Show here every year for the last 5 or so at least. It's not only great fun to see all the charming animals, most of whom like to be petted and are wonderfully soft (if you haven't felt Alpaca fiber "on the hoof" you don't know what you're missing!) but there are myriad fiber acquiring opportunities!

I usually purchase yarn, and perhaps some roving or other ingredients that may catch my fancy, but this year I also purchased a knitted item. I fell in love with a pair of fingerless gloves which are just what I've been wanting to make, but hadn't found a pattern yet.

Photo Link The very talented lady who made these had come up with her own pattern, and while I could mainly figure it out by counting rows, etc., there was one spot where I wasn't sure what she'd done. She gladly told me, and I have now made about 3/4 of a pair of my own from the brown alpaca yarn I also purchased. Fun knitting, and a very fast project. Here's my progress so far.

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These were so popular on the runway at the Fall shows, and were mainly shown being worn over gloves, so that no matter what the glove shaft length, they worked under the shorter-sleeved jackets and coats that have been all over this year.

Here's my entire haul from the show. Coral llama yarn, with a green bonus Cria pin, the brown alpaca yarn, and the fingerless gloves. I also bought a single hand needle-felting needle to use for "basting" when working with my Embellisher.


Photo Link

Orange Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

Here's what I came up with when using the recipe proposed by kitnrose that's been discussed on Stitcher's Guild, and which was tweaked by an actual Pastry Chef, husband of Portia, a member of Stitcher's Guild. You can find the entire discussion at the link above, including the recipe.

I made a few changes from the original, including:

Took out 2/3 cup of flour.
12 oz. Semi-Sweet chips and no white chocolate chips
added 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
Sifted all dry ingredients before measuring, and spooned into measuring cups
added Zest of one orange (two would be better)
baked on parchment and did not flatten, as the batter was quite soft, and they flattened themselves effectively

They are quite delicate, almost like lace cookies, with crisp edges and a slightly tender middle. I also got over 6 dozen out of the recipe rather than the stated 5 dozen. The plate the cookies are shown on is a small one, no more than 6" across, so that gives you an idea of the size I'm getting.

There's not a lot of orange flavor, although there's a definite orange scent to them. I really think if you're dying for Orange/Chocolate flavor, you'd do well to use orange frosting on them.

I'm not usually a happy cookie baker, or an anything baker for that matter, but this recipe intrigued me, and I needed some cookies to take to a Fundraiser Boutique my music fraternity, Mu Phi Epsilon, is having tomorrow.

Hello Again

It's been quite a while since I posted, and I must admit there have been times I wanted to, but everything that's been happening lately has been just a little too close to home, and it's very hard to be detached about them. I see no reason to inflict un-fun stuff on all of you, so I was just quiet instead.

I have been knitting more than anything lately, as it's so nice and portable, and I've been doing a lot more running around than usual, so it's what fit in.

I am practically finished with my brother's Xmas sweater, and I reached into the bag for the last ball of yarn, and it wasn't there! I apparently used it all already. I can't even count ball usage by seeing where I have to weave ends in, since I was so smart and used a "spit splice" each time. Oh well, hoist on my own petard, as usual. I called Bendigo and ordered one more ball, as well as some of the Rustic Red Tweed to make a 'matching' sweater for my nephew. I ordered plenty for it. I'm sure it will be enough, as I won't be making his sweater extra long, as I had to do for my brother, who's 6'6", with very long arms. Usually I'm way under the recommended amount of yarn, but with substitution, lengthening, etc. I apparently didn't allow myself enough of a cushion. Also, as I think I reported before, this is almost the only thing I've ever knitted where I'm getting the gauge perfectly while using the recommended needle sizes. I have always had to go down at least 2 sizes for sure. So, something's going on, or maybe they just have my number at Drops. They're Norwegian, I'm Swedish, maybe Scandinavians knit a little differently. Somehow I doubt it.....

I finally began a shell with some rayon chenille yarn I bought from a blogger back when blogs were a new phenomenon, to me at least. It's a fine, flat yarn, variegated in gold, sage, olive, brown and black, and it's semi-camouflagey looking, but I like it.

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I keep changing my mind on whether I like the stockinette or purl side better. I don't have to decide until the very end with this pattern, so that's good. The pattern is a hybrid that I made last year or so. The tank top on the right is from a Katia book, and I used the yarn shown. The further I got into it, the more I was sure that those straps, no matter how darling, were not going to be good on me, and I started looking for a pattern that would be easy to combine with what I already had done. The shell on the left from KnitOne magazine was perfect, and I have been very pleased with the look and fit of the resulting garment, so I decided to try it again. I change to the KnitOne pattern right before the armscye shaping.

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If you haven't listened to Toya's interview with Carolyn yet, you have a treat coming. It's a well done interview with a very interesting subject, and they're obviously having a great time throughout.

Lastly, I saw this and took the quiz to see What Kind of Mythological Creature Are You? I'm feeling slightly mythological lately, so why not? (As I told my accompanist after explaining my research findings (which alluded to Zeus's many partners of all kinds, no surprise there) on Ganymed while doing the Schubert song of the same name, "It's mythology. It's educational.") So, maybe this is educational too.

You Are a Pegasus

You are a perfectionist, with an eye for beauty. You know how to live a good life - and you rarely deviate from your good taste. While you aren't outgoing, you have excellent social skills. People both admire you - and feel very comfortable around you.

What Mythological Creature Are You?

Zebra Quick Top

Photo Link

This top was the culmination of a process that included a muslin for a different pattern, which needed a lot of work, although I was planning to do it. It was a princess-seamed knit top with a tall funnel/cowl neck. I bought this fabric simply to use as a muslin since it's very thin, but the price was right for a test. After I stitched up the muslin, I realized that I very much liked the way the print fell, and thought I'd see if I could get some more to make a top to wear from it.

I was able to get more, and then wondered whether I really wanted a knit top with princess seams after all. I sometimes think I'm curvy enough without adding to it with both knit fabric and major shaping seams, so I decided to use an old favorite pattern, the top from Fashion Sewing Group #1960 Twin Set. As Carolyn has said, why re-invent the wheel when you have a pattern you already like? I added the collar from the Vogue 8323, which was what I really liked about it, and am very happy with the results. I will wear it under other things becasue, as I already mentioned, it's a very thin knit and not the best quality by any means, so the drape of the fabric isn't too great, but I fell for the print and the color, which is a bit more pronounced than in the photo, but not by much. It feels like it's going to be nice and snuggly for winter, especially with that collar.

My other really thrilling news is that I did NOT accidentally throw away my Fall Marfy catalog, thank goodness. I couldn't believe I had, but I searched and searched for several days with no results. Then, I dreamed about finding it, although it wasn't where I dreamt it was, and I knew it couldn't be, but it was in that room, and I felt like it was a sign that it really was still around and I should just keep looking.

I'm also getting sort of close to the end of my brother's Xmas sweater. I've finished increasing on the last sleeve and will soon begin the shoulder shaping. Then it's just assembly and the collar. I can't believe it. It's been quite the epic project, and I should start a matching one for his youngest boy, who is crazed for anything "just like Dad's", but I may have to do something else for a while. At least his would be much smaller, and surely go much faster..... I'll have to think about it.

I am a Rockin'Girl Blogger?

Well, I guess I must be. Mardel of Sew Distracted has designated me as such, and what a nice thing to do! I haven't felt much like a rockin' anything lately, so this is a very nice boost to the psyche. If you haven't already read her blog lately, go quickly, and look at the wonderful trims she has found, as well as all her other interesting and lovely projects. She's quite the inspiration, and a wonderful writer as well, with an equally interesting knitting blog.

The skirt that won't work for me will work for someone else, and I finished it yesterday for her. I think it turned out well, and it's really cute. Just not cute on me. I hope she likes it.

I did a muslin of a knit top last night, which turned out kind of cute because of the fabric, which was a cheapie printed jersey. Cream with pale acqua zebra stripes. The top needs major changes beyond what I already did to it, and I won't use this fabric for the final version, as it's really too thin and lightweight, but I may see if I can get some more of it, because it's just really cute.

The handwork on the skirt finishing is where I was practicing with my new thimble ring, and I really like it. One thing that's nice about these thimbles is that the "dimples" where your needle goes are square rather than just rounded depressions, so once it's against the thimble, it's in one of the tiny squares, and can't slide off. All of their designs have this feature, and I think it's a real safety device, to say the least.

Yubinuki for Me

 

Well, I'd never heard of a Yubinuki either, but it's a sterling silver thimble ring. Once I realized that I could use and wear it while still having the end of my finger free, I was interested. I'm always taking my thimble off to be able to knot a thread or whatever. I'm still getting used to this ring, but it's becoming more and more natural and I really like it.

 

Our local Sewing Guild's first meeting of the year was Monday, and our program was Thimbles by TJ Lane. TJ's daughter, who makes thimbles along with her mother, lives in Lincoln, so it was easy to get her to come for a meeting. She's presented a delightful program, and tempted us all with her beautiful custom-fit thimbles, as well as chatelaines and all the accoutrements one could dream of.

One thing that really surprised me is that the closed end thimbles are very poor sellers for them, and so they're slowly discontinuing them. That was what I would definitely have wanted had I not seen these, but the open styles are much more decorative, and of course they allow a long nail to fit through the thimble, so I can see why they may be more popular.

Luckily I have some hand sewing to do lately in finishing a skirt, so I'm getting some practice with my new thimble, and it takes a little practice, since now I need to push from the side all the time, and usually I just push wherever.

Marfy Cape is Finished

Photo Link
Yesterday I finished the Marfy cape I've been working on. I'm really quite pleased with it. It's a simple design, and yet the finished product has so much style, and the details are so nice, that it was well worth making. I plan to wear it a lot this winter, as it's going to be really warm. The lining, a printed poly moleskin, is very light in weight, although being polyester, it should be warm, but the wool face fabric is heavier than I thought it would be. It's fairly loosely woven of large threads, but the cape is quite heavy. It's a great shape to wear over almost anything. It has a vintage feel to it, yet at the same time it looks very up to date with many of the things we saw on the runway for Fall.

The very large button on the front is ceramic with a rakú finish. It's 2" across, and I thought I'd prefer large covered snaps for the actual closure rather than a buttonhole that large, and I covered both halves of the snaps according to the fabric they were sewn to.

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Here it is with the snaps fastened.

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I used Pam's (Sew Exciting) Pro-Woven Standard, a non-fusible interfacing in the collar and pocket bands. The pockets themselves were sewn to the jacket front by hand after they were constructed. I just love the shape of them! Almost the last thing I did was to resew the pockets by hand, catching the lining so the garment hangs together better when you put your hands in the pockets.

I also hand prick-stitched the edges of the cape. I thought it would look better than understitching, especially when the cape is open. I used a variegated cotton machine quilting thread from YLI called Mango, which matches the colors in the fabric. I like the way it shows, but not aggressively, and in some places almost disappears when the right thread color is on the right fabric color.


The sides are stitched together at the point where the buttons are attached on the front and back. You can see the shape of the cape, and the way it works here.

Photo Link

I like the collar best standing, but it also folds down.
You can see all the photos here.

One last plus is that I appear to have enough wool left for a straight skirt, my favorite. That should make a fun ensemble this winter.

More Books & Some Sewing

I ordered a couple books last week, and received them Friday. Both of them are a little off the beaten track for me, and one is strictly inspirational.

I noticed Creating Sketchbooks for Embroiderers and Textile Artists

by Kay Greenlees some time ago, and since I have been thinking for some time about what I could do to improve my skills in recording and developing ideas, I thought this might be helpful as well as an interesting read. I'm taking it slowly and trying to really absorb the ideas, which are myriad, and so I'm not through it yet, but so far I'm pleased with it. It's a little more skewed toward the art side of things, but that's okay.

The other book is Embroidery by Federico Rocca. It's an amazing coffee-table size book that shows many examples of couture garments with embroidery as well as some embroideries from the archives of the embroidery studio featured. The designers are all or almost all Italian, and there are some things that have captured my imagination. I'm thinking of embroidery of all kinds now, although it's not something that's featured heavily in my wardrobe to say the least. The book has some ideas that are very non-traditional, and others that bring to mind ways to use them that are not too over-the-top.

I've been working on the darling free Cape pattern from the latest Marfy catalog, and it's turning out really well. I'm using a heavy wool coating from Pendleton. It's a melange of yellow and pink, which sounds odd, but I really loved it when I bought it, and I still like it. It was a cut piece 2.5 yards, and I only bought one. I realized that really wasn't enough for a coat, which is what I wanted to make. Of course they were out by the time I got back, so it's been waiting for its pattern mate to find it, and it finally did. It's at the upper left of this photo, and I think the pockets are just the cutest thing.

I'm using a printed poly moleskin for a lining, which is nice and warm, yet light in weight, as the wool is quite heavy. I have it all together except for the spot where I turned it. I've been hand prick-stitching the edges with a pink/yellow variegated cotton quilting thread, and the effect is nice. It shows a bit, but not aggressively. Now I need to decide on buttons and whether I'll do the side closures as shown or some other way. Bows are coming to mind, but I'm not sure that's what I really want.
Here's the wool.

Photo Link

A Learning Experience

I've been poring over all the fashion magazines the last couple of weeks. Vogue, W, Harper's Bazaar. The spring runway shows are on now, but I've been ignoring them to keep my focus on fall. I've been planning out my sewing projects and attempting to be organized, and I'm not sure all this has done me much good if my latest project is anything to go by. Perhaps it's a lesson to stick to the plan and to the generally pretty basic styles that look best on me instead of lusting after the interesting and unique designs that come along.

Here's what happened. I fell in love with a skirt pattern in the September Burda WOF. It's #116, and there's nothing wrong with it except it looks awful on me.I kept trying it on and hoping it was going to look better when I got a little further along, and finally after I faced the top edge and the next step was the lining, which I luckily hadn't cut yet, I asked Pearle what he thought, and he immediately said it was just really bad in many ways, and especially because it made me look really wide, which he then very kindly said I'm not, so I felt a little better. He also hated the fabric, which I think is cute. Please note that the embroidery is nowhere near as shiny as it looks in the photo. It's much more matte with just a hint of sparkle. Anyway, that's the end of that one.

 

I really thought the style was cute. I've always liked those tapered skirts with interesting pleat details, but I guess they don't like me.

Louet Celebrity Progress

Link to Photo

Here's the back of the Instant Jacket I've been knitting in Louet's Celebrity yarn. It goes really quickly, as it's 2spi on Size 15 needles. I just love the colors and the little bumps that show.

I'm also finally binding off for the sleeve cap on the Xmas cabled sweater I'm making. So, after it's done, one more sleeve and then assembly. It's been fun to knit, but it will be nice to be done too.

A Fair Outcome

Photo Link Here

Here's Pearle in front of his 1st Prize shirt at the 2007 Nebraska State Fair. I was very thrilled to win. We almost couldn't find it when we looked this morning, but they had put it on a mannequin in a case, so it made a nice backdrop. We rent a cool little scooter for him to get around the fairgrounds on, and I get my excercise just keeping up. He can go fast!

I've been knitting on one of the Instant Jackets I'm doing from my new elann yarn, and I'll have to take a photo soon. It's the Louet Celebrity, and it's really luscious. I'm done with the back and halfway up one front. It really is fast to knit.

Nightie, Night!

I bought some beautiful embroidered-border batiste from FabricMart some time ago, and finally got around to making a nightgown from it. It's such a fine, thin fabric that it feels quite luxurious, although it's cotton. Perfect for a nightgown. I used my copied-from-a-favorite-RTW-gown pattern, and although it's quite simple, I'm very pleased with it, as it's exactly what I wanted.


Photo Link Here

I was planning to use some trim for straps and the top edge, but as I worked with the fabric I enjoyed the feel of it so much, and it was so light that I was afraid trim would weigh it down, so I decided to do narrow turned tube straps, and also to just turn the top edge over twice and do a hand stitched finish. I used Edge Stitch, as described in my favorite sewing book, Sew the French Way. It's said to be de rigeur for fine lingerie seams, and it's very pretty. It's also used to attach lace and appliques to lingerie, as it has tiny decorative holes when you're done. It looks very much to me like the heirloom stitch on my machine called Point de Paris, although this is much finer and more flexible by far. It only took a couple hours to do the stitching, and I enjoyed it. I may even do more. You can see it in the next photo, and if you want a real close-up, use the link below the photo.


Photo Link Here

The yarn I ordered Thursday night from elann.com came yesterday (Monday) which I thought was excellent service. I'm planning an Instant Jacket type cardigan out of each of the two yarns. The left is Louet's Celebrity, and on the right is Austermann's Soft Wool. I also got a couple sets of double-pointed needles that I needed.


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I've also begun to seriously plan my Fall sewing, and have begun tracing and altering the patterns I'm planning to use. This is not something I generally do more than one pattern at a time, and I'm finding that this is really focusing my mind on details of what I want to do, and has been quite the nice experience. I dislike cutting out a number of garments at the same time, as it's so easy to change your mind about some detail when it's too late, but I think this mass alteration plan may be a good one for me. That way, when I'm ready to sew, I'll be ready to sew!

Omaha Expo in September

Kayleen was asking, and in case anyone else in my neck of the woods isn't aware of it, there's a sewing expo coming up in Council Bluffs, Iowa (across the river from Omaha)in about a month.

• The Original Creative Festival
  
  September 21, 22, 23, 2007
  Mid-America Center
  One Arena Way
  Council Bluffs, IA 51501
  
  
  WORKSHOPS BEGIN Thursday September 20th 9:00 am
  Sewing machines sponsored by Sew Viking
  Irons sponsored by ROWENTA
  
  Three days of FUN PACKED ENTERTAINMENT
  
  Special Guest Speaker Cynthia England / England Designs
  Cynthia is a graduate of the Art Institute of Houston and has been creating quilts for more than thirty years. Experimentation with quilting techniques led her to develop her own unique style. Cynthia’s quilts have been honored with many awards, including two Best of Shows at the prestigious “International Quilt Association”. Her quilt, Piece and Quiet was distinguished as one of the Hundred Best Quilts of the 20th Century. Cynthia teaches and lectures nationally and internationally.
  
  Come learn from the top industry designers & educators that will be offering 4 days of workshops, seminars & FREE stage presentations. Special Guest speakers: Cynthia England, Jodi Barrows, Emma Seabrooke, Barbara Callahan, Connie Spurlock, Sheila Reinke, Brian Bergquist, Terry White, Jewell Hulitt, Lorraine Henry, Connie Spurlock, Kathy Ruddy, James Raymer, elinor peace bailey, Ute Vasina, Patti Culea, Julie McCullough and more to be announced. It’s a perfect opportunity to learn NEW sewing, quilting, crafting and embroidery skills or simply sharpen current ones.
  
  Cloth Doll Makers & Doll Lovers
  YOU are in for a HUGE treat! For the first time in Council Bluffs 4 of the Top Industry Cloth Doll Artist; elinor peace bailey, Patti Medaris Culea, Ute Vasina & Julie McCullough will be traveling to The Original Creative Festival and will display their Creations, teach workshops, lecture and offer Hands-on Make & Take it projects during the Festival. Be sure to stop by “Doll Alley” and meet the artist face to face, they will have all their newest products & supplies for purchase.

I plan to go for a day, mainly to visit the vendors and perhaps do a few classes. There's quite a list of them, and some sound pretty interesting. I've been told that Lorraine Henry is very good on fitting and pattern choices. Anyone know anything about her?

There's a thread on Stitcher's Guild about this now, too.

There's also going to be a Hancock workshop weekend in October in Omaha, but I haven't heard who the guest speaker/educator will be. It's always been very good though, so I'm hoping for great things.

A Real Quickie - Sundress

I felt like sewing something, and since I need to go through my fabric inventory and really decide on my plans for Fall as a whole, I didn't want to start on anything major. I just needed that quick fix of a fast project. I had some cute printed knit fabric that I bought from Wazoodle last year, planning some sort of sundress. The May 2007 Burda WOF had a cute top and sundress from the same pattern, only with different lengths. It's not my usual thing, but it's been so horribly hot the last week or so that my brain is fried I think, and it's finally hot enough that I think of sundresses for me, rather than other people.

I did the top first in a tricot to try it out, and found that the V-neck hit way too low. It was cute though, and I decided to raise the neckline. I just made it horizontal instead of a V, and I think it came out very cute. I like the fact that the straps almost completely cover my bra straps, except where the knot is. It has a self-fabric tube as a belt, although I think if I wear it, it will probably be unbelted. It would be cooler that way too. The colors in the first photo are the most true.


Photo Link here


Photo Link here.

I got my Marfy patterns yesterday! That should spur me on. I also just finally went and bought the new Vogue Knitting magazine. I have to call them now and tell them mine never came.

Fall Sewing - Ruched Skirt

Link to larger photo.

I knew when I saw this skirt pattern in the May 2007 Burda WOF magazine that I wanted to make it, and I knew the perfect fabric. Timmel Fabric had had a plaid mesh fabric that kept popping up in my head, but I never knew just what I should do with it. Until I saw this skirt. The original was a plain tulle underskirt with a border print overskirt, but I thought a plain overskirt would be more wearable with such a stylized design. So, I ordered the fabric along with a plain brown in a light weight, and proceeded to do nothing with them for a couple months. I'm glad I waited, as it really seems to be a Fall skirt rather than a summer one, and when I had finished it, my real problems began, as I tried to find something that I wanted to wear with it.

I had lots of help from some very discerning eyes, and the consensus was that it went best with a Marfy zip-front jacket that I made a couple years ago. (The colors are better in person, as I lightened this photo a bit so the skirt shows better.) So, now I had a jacket, I now needed a blouse. I had enough left of the plaid to make a blouse, and so I tried on several styles to see what I liked with the jacket, and decided on Vogue 2719, which I had made previously in a batik. You can see the collar under the jacket above, or here's a photo of just the skirt and blouse.


Link to larger photo here.

I put 2 collars on the blouse. I used the brown skirt fabric for the undercollar on the top collar and the top of the lower collar. It's a small detail, suggested by Linda's description of an Armani jacket, although completely different, and not nearly so wonderful. It was fun to do something different, though.


Larger Photo Here.

Ta Da! It's a skirt, NOT pants

but you probably would have noticed that anyway!

Yes, I finished the tunic outfit I had started. For some reason, I was apparently convinced that this fabric was 60" wide when I bought it, and thought I was getting enough for a tunic and pants, but lo and behold it's actually 48" wide. I tried to get more fabric, but it was all gone, so it was on to Plan B.


Link to Larger Photos Here.

The pants would have been rather plain, but with the skirt, I decided to emphasize the vertical line of the CF and CB seams by turning the seam allowances to the right side and then edgestitching. I did the hem similarly, and the top elastic casing as well, which I think is terribly cute, although no one will ever see it, as I'm certainly not going to wear this skirt (or almost any skirt) with a top tucked in. I'm just too shortwaisted for that. The skirt pattern is for knits, and although this is a fairly stretchy woven, I was worried that it would be tight, so I added 4" to the circumference. It's just fine, with plenty of room to put it on as well. I attached the 1 1/4" elastic at the top only, so the skirt hangs away from the body just a bit below that, and I think it's a success.


After all the details on the skirt, the tunic needed a bit more oomph, so I turned the hem to the right side, and made it a bit wider than it originally was, and I edgestitched all the seam allowances, although on the sleeves, since they are rolled up, I didn't stitch them to the sleeve, but left them free. I may not always roll them just the same amount, and I didn't want stitching showing on the right side.


I can hardly wait for cooler weather to wear this, as I think it's going to be great fun.

Fabric Inspiration

I got a wonderful book in the mail the other day, and have been poring over it with great enjoyment. It's called Fashioning Fabrics: Contemporary Textiles in Fashion. It has the most fabulous close ups of extraordinary fabrics and garments that I've ever seen. It's a fairly new book too, and they have some couture fabrics from very recent collections. 2005 is the latest I've noticed so far. I would definitely recommend this book if you're at all interested in this subject.

Book Description: (from amazon.com)
Fashioning Fabrics considers the work of fashion designers who put textile development at the center of their practice. Taking in both flights of fancy gracing the most exclusive catwalks in the world and emerging designers working on a much smaller scale, this stunning book explores and pays homage to the experimental, the beautiful and the extravagant in textile design. From Issey Miyake’s sculptural pleats to Jessica Ogden’s salvaged and reworked vintage fabrics, from Pucci prints to conceptual play in the designs of Hussein Chalayan, Fashioning Fabrics concentrates on innovative, challenging approaches to design. Each designer is profiled in detail and their relationship with fabrics and fashion explored. Fashioning Fabrics is beautifully illustrated with detailed images of the textiles discussed and photography illuminating the creative process from studio to catwalk. Whilst it may seem obvious that textiles play a pivotal role in fashion design, the use of fabric is rarely discussed in its own right. Fashioning Fabrics seeks to redress this imbalance. With an introduction by Sandy Black, author of Knitwear in Fashion, and a renowned writer in this field, this book traces a history of innovation and passion for textiles.

Everyone else is getting their Burda World-of-Fashion magazines today, so I feel a bit left out, but I usually get them very quickly, so I shouldn't complain.

I've been working on a Fall outfit. I found a remarkable fabric which is a stretch woven. I know I said I'd never fall for them again, but what are you going to do? It's the very au courant metallized finish as well, and it has a different color on each side, coordinating beautifully. It's a tan/gold on one side, and a gorgeous taupe on the other. I'm using an old pattern for this, the Great Copy New York Pullover, now OOP (out of print) and my favorite pants with a narrower leg. I think this is going to be a very nice tunic look. The top is almost done, and I've color-blocked a bit, with the collar and under-sleeve pieces in the taupe and the rest in gold. The pants will be taupe. The way the pattern is cut, the yoke front, back and upper sleeves are in one (with a CB seam) and the lengthwise grain goes the length of your arms. This makes it look like yet another color, which I didn't realize until I had it together. It's not a big change, but enough to be noticeable, and very attractive I think. Here's a line drawing of the pullover pattern. It was designed for fleece, but I used it once before for a loosely woven wool, and liked the results very much.

...Tan Shoes & Pink Shoelaces...

Actually instead of a polka dot vest, it's polka dot pants! I don't know how many of you remember that very silly song, but it takes me back to my 4H Song Contest days. Our group didn't sing that song, but we heard it a lot from another club, and it stuck. For us, our leader picked serious song literature.

................."Ja Da, Ja Da, Jing, Jing, Jing.".............................

Anyway, on to the polka dot pants.

Link here to this and a front view.

This is my favorite Double Burda pattern in polka dot embroidered linen from JoAnn's. I think they turned out kind of cute. I wore them to dinner tonight, and I have to admit that every time I looked down for my napkin and got a glimpse of the dots I was sure I had spilled something. I think they look cute with the windowpane blouse, and the linen is almost a perfect match for a gorgeous Sewing Workshop vest that I got from Pam. How amazing is that?

These have my favorite Hollywood waist treatment, a left side invisible zipper and a right side inseam pocket. I have finally learned that I have to hem the right leg about 3/8" longer to make them match. High left shoulder and high right hip I guess. I don't feel all squinched up, but apparently I am.

I got a new knitting pattern book. It's Anny Blatt: Timeless Classics from the Knit Collection
I saw a copy the other day, and it has some really wonderful patterns in it. The yarns will have to be substituted I'm sure, as it's not a terribly new book. I hope I'll actually get to knit some of them. Surely I can get to one of them at least.

Shirts and Sweaters

Photo Link for extreme close up of stitches.

Here's my progress on the Christmas sweater. You can see the beginnings of the first sleeve cuff on the Size 1 double points toward the right. It's been going pretty quickly, although now that the live horse racing season is over for the year, that may cut into my "enforced" knitting time.

I've finished the polka dot linen pants as well, and hope to both wear them and get a photo this evening. I think they turned out pretty well.

I also managed to finish a previously abandoned shirt for Pearle. I'm not sure why I quit working on it before, but it was pretty close to done, and so I did the cuffs, hem, buttonholes and buttons last night, and it's ready to go.


Photo Link here for a more detailed image.

I was very intrigued by the next photo, which shows just how fine and detailed the weave is on this Swiss cotton fabric. It also shows that the regular size sewing thread I used is miles larger than the threads used to weave the fabric.

Photo Link here for an even more detailed shot.

Fall Marfy Catalog is Here

Tra la! My Marfy catalog came today, as promised. I've been looking hard at all the designs, and there are a few that are calling to me, although I must say, not as many as usual. I do really like the free patterns this time. They're shown in the first 2 photos below. There's a nice shirt/jacket, pants, and bias skirt, shown below.

And then a darling cape (very small in the upper left of the picture below) which is going on the fast-track list, and is shown with a cute top and a very casual skirt.

Vests must be very hot this fall as I noticed a couple in the latest Vogue Patterns magazine as well, and wondered about it. I like the one shown below fairly well, but it's the skirt that really caught my eye. (The vest pockets would definitely have to go, or at least move elsewhere.)

This very cute jacket is one that immediately called out to me. I look at it, and I really like it, but I wonder if I ought to be forgoing the short jackets. I think it's the very low closure with the V-neck that I like. It might be enough to counteract the shortness of the jacket. It's pretty cute, anyway. Nice skirt as well.

This is another skirt that caught my eye. It reminds me a lot of a Marfy from a couple of seasons ago that I really disliked, so I was initially surprised that I immediately liked this one. This is so similar, and yet it is much better. I think the older one had curved panels starting on each hip instead of just one in the back. Anyway, it was unflattering even in the illustration, I thought.

 

I will need to ponder these designs and look at my personal fabric store to see what I really am serious about, but there's definitely food for thought here, and I'm very much ready to think about fall fashions rather than summer. I want to make sure that I'm sewing things that are going to work with at least some of the wardrobe I already have, and it would be nice to be a little bit organized about it for a change. When I've done that in the past, it's been a real success, but it's awfully easy to fall back into the routine of just making individual pieces and then afterward hoping they'll work out.