Hits, misses and neutrals in 2018

I seem to have been quite busy with sewing this year but with very little to show for it! I have quite a few craft items which have been successful in their own category and some knitting - oh and repairs and refashioning. As there is so little to show, I’m doing one post for both successes and failures for the year. I'm not including failures that didn't get as far as being made up - and there are quite a few of those!

I will do them in order from the start of the year, all together in one category. Click the title to get to the appropriate blog post where the pattern number and details will be listed.

As before, I'm linking to  Crafting a Rainbow’s Top 5 of the Year.

January

Kimono - success

In January, I made a kimono for myself. I like the kimono, feel it fits well and do wear it. There is a but - the colours are not right for me and I have been intending to remake with a fabric more suited to my colouring and my other clothes. I tried to get a similar fabric but haven't been successful. Nevertheless, I consider this a success.

Chanel-type jacket - neutral

In January, I finally finished the Chanel-type jacket I had been working on for some time, after starting it in a two-weekend class I attended with Margaret of The  Crafty Creek in the autumn of the previous year. I think the jacket looks great but I haven’t really worn it. This is mainly because I feel it is a bit snug (I have put on weight, alas). I feel it is snug around the biceps and it lies with the two fronts quite far apart. I learned such a lot from this exercise, though - very much including what I would do differently next time. The main thing I would change would be to overlock raw edges before started construction. I’ll have to say this is a neutral as it hasn’t been worn in the way I had intended – so neither failure nor success.

February was a very unsuccessful month with several items and pieces of fabric being rejected. March was a more successful month

Jasper sweatshirt - success

It was cold in March. We haven't had much cold weather yet this winter.

I made the Jasper sweatshirt and have worn it a lot though it’s only getting cold enough now to think about it again. I like it but it was criticised on the style website I’m a member of for being too dark for my colouring - while I didn’t want that to influence my view of it, it has to some extent. I plan to make it again but in slightly lighter weight fabric

New Look 6481 tops - 2 x successes 1 x fail

I’ve worn these tops a lot. The fail was as a result of using a fabric with insufficient stretch and it was too tight for me. It went to my daughter who wears it, as far as I know so not a total failure. Operative error.

Blackwood cardigans x2 - successes

Regularly worn. I like one better than the other - the one that has slightly more stretch - as it feels more comfortable. Same fabric as the NL 6481s

Trousers - epic FAIL

For the whole year, well until autumn really, I was trying to make well-fitting trousers. The closest I got was making up a pair of trousers that I was forced to wear for golf matches as I had no other suitable trousers which still fitted me. I did get to wear them but they were neither stylish nor comfortable.

I intend to solve the problem in 2019!

 

I have so many awful photos of the various stages - this was the least bad
I haven't linked to a post

Self-drafted top - failure

I finished this but have never enjoyed wearing it. The fit just isn't right.

Cashmerette concord Vneck tunic - neutral

I made another Cashmerette Concord, this time with a V neck, tunic length. I’m not really wearing it - I think because the neckline is a little loose/stretched and a bit low for my liking. Operative error again.

Items for my daughters - successes. Probably

I made another pair of culottes for Joanne. While she was visiting for Christmas, I made some repairs to a much earlier pair of these culottes (she loves this style) and has told me she hasn't started to wear the most recent ones as yet.

I also made another silk dress for Helen. 

I am sure these will be successful but it’s too early to say as yet.

Gosh, that’s not much to show for a year! The trousers took up a lot of my time and made me feel completely despondent so I had to give up. I did a lot of garment refashioning, garment repairs

Machine embroidery - successes

I started to use my embroidery machine and enjoyed it. There is quite a big learning curve that I haven’t mastered yet, but I’m beginning to produce items that I have enjoyed making and the recipients have liked receiving.

Classes 

I attended a few classes - working with leather; silks and sheers and corset making. I have taken something from each class. My oldest daughter likes the corset I made (a standard size 12 with a D cup, clearly not for me!) and even though it is a sample speedily made up a couple of days before Christmas, she has taken it home with her. My youngest daughter found a little too much space in the cups - she added a couple of cooking apples to fill the cups out! She liked the waist shaping it gave her, though - she has a fairly straight figure

WIPs

I have some WIPs, ready to restart in January

Make Nine Project - failure

I signed up for the make nine project and have not succeeded in making anything like 9 items. This is because quite a few of my items were going to be trousers/pants and I haven’t got the fit right as yet. Is it possible that I won’t be able to? I didn’t make the jacket as that was to go with the trousers.

RTW Fast

I have been more successful with the RTW 2018 Fast, depending on how you measure success! I have done the fasting - but have not managed to fill the gradually increasing holes in my wardrobe.

7 Steps to Style and Evolve Your Style - failure

I intended to put everything into this but found I just didn’t. This was partly because I was on the RTW Fast and so wasn’t buying new clothes (or even charity shop clothes for refashioning). I had a huge bundle of old clothes that needed restyled but they got me down, I had little idea how to proceed (Lots of trousers) so I abandoned that idea.

I haven’t seen much point in buying new fabrics when I have huge stash or new patterns ditto. So this coming year, I will concentrate on making what I have manageable and reflect me.

Outlet bargain overhaul and charity shop patterns find

I'm an RTW faster, this year. Meaning that I ‘cannot’ purchase RTW clothes. There are a few things I'm ‘allowed’ to purchase - shoes, bags etc and, I believe,  tights and bras. As it happens,  I haven't bought anything. I thought this might hurt, as I've been a bit of a shopaholic but amazingly, it's been easy. My bank balance is probably pleased, too. On the other hand, a lot of what I bought was bought because it was on sale, a bargain etc. I wouldn't have bought many/any of the items if they had been full price! I do have too many clothes, in any case - but I’m glad to say I’m gradually culling these.

When I visit my mother,  I pass an outlet village. For some reason, the M&S outlet in this village has much better prices than my more local outlet stores (there are 2 within 5 miles plus another 15 miles away). That store, at Gretna, so in Scotland, often has excellent clearance sales.

Last year, I bought a striped dress and stretch bootcut casual pants for under £2.50 each (about $3.50). The original prices were far higher.

The pants were for me and are actually too big and as a result slightly too long, amazingly. I wore them for the first time yesterday and need to decide what best to do with them. They're very casual and I can get by with them for the moment.

I offered the dress to my middle daughter, thinking it might suit her and was her style, but she wasn't interested. I thought I might dismantle the dress to use the fabric as it is decent quality. The length of the dress was much too short for a dress and too long for a tunic - for me, that is. I can't really show you that as I didn't take a photo. Imagine slightly longer than I'm holding up!

Excess away - I'm wearing the grey pants I bought, too.

I decided the best option was to cut it to top length. I cut off 18.5cm (7.5”)and folded up the hem at 1.5cm (⅝”) along one of the stripes.

I did consider using the reverse of the fabric to make a contrast band. The reverse contrast is used at the sleeve and the neck. At the sleeve, the fabric is turned over twice to the right side so the wrong side shows. The resultant sleeve hem/band is 4cm (1.5”) and it’s stitched in place at a couple of points. I decided to go with the original turned hem.

The original had a coverstitched hem. I don't have a coverstitch machine. I overlocked the edge using grey thread  (actually I overlocked as I was cutting the excess fabric off - I was able to follow a grey stripe), then folded along a navy stripe and pressed. My trial of twin needle topstitching wasn’t successful due to tunnelling of the fabric between the needles. How do I avoid tunnelling - I haven't had it on previous garments?

In the end I went for a single needle narrow zigzag stitch using navy in the top needle and grey in the bobbin along a navy stripe on the right side. The stitch is practically invisible on both sides and I'm happy with it.

Right side of finished hem

Wrong side of finished hem

The result is a top I’m pleased with and have already worn twice. The fit isn’t perfect, but it’s good enough.

Finished top. This fits nicely with my preferred style

Today I was at the dentist in a nearby local village. I walked through the village afterwards, as I had time to spare on my parking ticket. I passed a very interesting charity shop (I think that’s a thrift shop in the US). I was attracted in by the suit on the model in the window - it looked rather designer with lots of interesting details. I didn’t pursue it when I got in as I picked up a couple of paper patterns (well - 5!) - other charity shops in my area don’t take them as they don’t want to check to see if all the pieces are present. So this was quite a find. There are 3 for me, including an American Vogue designer (Isaac Mizrahi), uncut,

and 2 for my grandchildren. Only one of the patterns has been cut and it was put back into the envelope beautifully - I can never achieve that! It’s cut at the largest size in the envelope, which is fine. Unfortunately, all of these probably came from the same person who is a little smaller than I - I’d have liked the bigger size range. One of the patterns has a lace top that I’m putting in my possibility file for my mother of the bride outfit. It's a very simple shape and should be easy to grade up in size - I hope.

Pattern is crushed but uncut.  I like the loose blouse. 

I really like the lace top. Not with this dress, though (it's a bias dress and too long for my taste) - and perhaps in cobalt blue

I can see reviews on PR only for the two children’s patterns. The women’s patterns are obviously quite old - the same pattern numbers now grace completely different patterns. The date on the back is 1998.

I think I'll make these for my two grandsons - version A. I love the contract under-fabric. One PR review is pretty poor.

The size of this pattern might do my younger grandson this year - otherwise it's too small.
My older grandson has a rather large head - he's also very tall for his age.

I haven’t looked at clothes in the charity shops. I don’t find it easy to buy RTW because I’m tall (and okay - overweight) so it’s never been something I’ve managed to get. I’m not sure if purchasing an item of clothing from a charity shop with the express intention of altering it is allowed in the RTW Fast - so I don’t look!

Sewing Plans for 2015

Well, I've started as I mean to go on. I'm a person who works better if there is accountability. Even though I know how to lose weight and keep it off, I do so much better attending a group, for example. So, to help me achieve some of my sewing goals, I have linked up with others.

Last year was my first year of sewing and I really lost my way a bit, joining in on PR competitions which were for things I didn't want to do at that time in the time scale given and didn't have the experience to do. This year, I won't preclude the idea of joining in but any competition must fit my personal goals and my time scale. I'm more interested in quality than quantity.

MAGAM

I did join in the Make a Garment a Month Challenge last year. That is, making time to make a garment for yourself each month. Again, I got a bit waylaid with sewing for other people or following other agendas.  I am going to continue this year and do hope that I can pull off one personal garment per month or so. I'm rather slow. There is no penalty if I don't achieve this. Sarah Liz has moved MAGAM to Facebook, so I also need to work out how to use it - and I'm not sure how to link it, as it is a closed group. I am on Facebook but an extremely limited user of it! There are details on the previous blog page of how to join in if you want to.

Blog as a Learning Log

I intend to keep up my blog. Time constraints have meant that my blog is less of the sewing journal and learning log for me than I intended it to be. Even at this stage, I find it difficult to remember exactly what I found difficult and how I solved a problem, without having pictures or words to help me. They say a picture paints a thousand words - I do need to improve my blog photography and have more in progress pictures. Even so, I can see that my sewing is improving.

PR Groups

I said I wasn't necessarily going to join in any PR competitions - however, I have joined a couple (no, wait - 3!!) of the groups. I've committed to 30 Minutes a Day in 2015 - sewing and related activities for an average of 30 minutes per day. This shouldn't be difficult as I am continuing next year with the dressmaking techniques class and the pattern cutting course I started in September. There will be some days I won't do anything but on others I'll be well over that limit. I've also committed to Monthly Sew Along for 2015  which is about any sewing not just garments, and includes restyling etc. The other I've committed to is the Style Along - a Stylish Closet. This doesn't necessarily involve any sewing whatsoever.

Re-evaluate, Restyle and Declutter

Last year, I realised that I was sewing for the sake of it without considering properly gaps in my wardrobe, or my style. I had already started reviewing this so this challenge fits in nicely. The first step will be to go through my wardrobe and declutter, which also fits into the 30 minutes per day. I'm a fairly tidy person in some respects - my wardrobe garments are organised by type and by colour. However, I have far too many and as many know, this means I haven't anything to wear! I still have quite a few items from my professional career, which really aren't suitable for my retired lifestyle, so I feel that I will have to let many of them go, even though they're good quality and wearable, under different circumstances. A bigger issue is the number of shoes I have! I do look after my clothes and shoes and have them dating back a long time. Some are very old fashioned looking, even at my age, there are too many 'dressy' shoes, many are too high for comfort these days, some really aren't comfortable - it's certainly true that extra weight shows in shoe fit, whatever some people say. Also, I have big feet, though not excessively so for my height. One challenge will be to find a comfortable, well-fitting , stylish low shoe.

I find it very difficult to buy clothes and shoes. Partly this is because of my height - being tall, many sleeves are too short, for example. Dresses have always been a particular problem as any dress with a waist seam fits much too high on me and even those without don't have the waist shaping in the correct place and the dress is overall too short. When I was younger, I didn't mind above the knee skirts and dresses but don't like them now. Because dresses were so difficult to buy, they were underrepresented in my wardrobe in comparison to separates. I have lots of skirts - some too business like for current use, but these days I prefer to wear trousers. Unfortunately they are particularly difficult to buy. I have a long crotch so it's not just leg length that's the issue; I also have large hips and thighs in comparison to a smaller waist. I don't have any well fitting pants. So, one of my challenges for 2015 is to create a perfectly fitting block for trousers which I can then modify and use to create as many pants as I want! This fits in nicely with my dressmaking techniques class this next term, which is trouser making techniques for 5 weeks (2 hour class each week) followed by 5 weeks in which to fit and make trousers, with help available. Strangely, the pattern fitting course is out of synch and the trouser block isn't until the following term, we'll be doing a skirt block and a sleeve block in that.

RTW Fast 2015

So, a combination of too many clothes and shoes, inability to buy clothes and need to change style? This leads very nicely into my commitment to the RTW Fast 2015, hosted once more by Sarah from Goodbye Valentino. I shouldn't think I'll need to make very much! Just commit to not buying unnecessary and inappropriate garments. If I do identify any gaps, I should be able to deal with that.

Style Blogs

I'm following InsideOut Style and the Vivienne Files which are giving some great style ideas. The Vivienne Files' Starting from Scratch starts with thinking about colours and then going for a pair of trousers in a basic colour, to begin with, and then building on that. That, of course, fits very nicely with my personal plans - and with the PR groups. The style group on PR has a load of other useful links, which I'm working my way through.

Restyle

The other important thing is garment redesign rather than garment construction. It's possible that some of my many inadequately fitting trousers could be modified. I have some that are too big - especially too wide in the waist - and in general, when I have trousers that are long enough in the crotch, they are too long in the front. Otherwise, usually a 'correct size' fits at the front and is much too short in the back. Along crotch and tilted waist/pelvis. So, some of those that are larger could perhaps have the waistband removed, front shortened, waist taken in and waistband re-attached. Also, it's likely that the legs need narrowed a bit. It's only worthwhile doing this with any that are reasonable quality. It's possible that in some cases the fabric could be re-used - I'm not sure about that. I'm also repairing my clothes (and those of DD3 who really needs some new togs)

Finish WIPs - or decide whether to finish or just get rid of them

Last year, before the summer break, I was attending a monthly dressmaking class and had started fitting and making a pair of trousers. The class decided against muslin fitting (!). As the class went on break (for 3 months), I thought I'd continue myself. The fit was truly awful (although there was no muslin, there was a tissue fit with some adjustments made). It was suggested I might do better to start from scratch with a smaller size. However, these were Palmer Pletsch trousers with a 1" fitting seam and I need to make sure that was being taken into account. So I'll have another look at these. Not sure wadder or finish.

My recent grey wool wrap-over skirt. I did this skirt alongside the skirt dressmaking techniques class. It doesn't really fit into my lifestyle but the colour and fabric are good. It was too big when completed (despite muslining it). I have had it pinned to size and need to finish that. Hopefully finish.

In the same vein as the monthly class I used to attend (I didn't go back after the summer break and have no plans to return), the teacher did a day class making a skirt. She hadn't intended to focus on fit just making but a skirt that doesn't fit isn't much use to anyone so lip service was paid to fitting. Again, tissue fitting but no muslin. Mine is huge. I've pinned it in but had difficulty with pattern matching. I need to look at it again. Its fabric is more suitable for summer. Not sure wadder or finish.

 

My white dress made for PR's Little White Dress Competition. I had problems with the central panel which had a permanent crease down the centre. Nothing I did got rid of it. I was just about to get rid of the dress when I realised I had enough fabric to replace the centre front portion, so I did this. Slight problem in that I replaced it with fabric upside down but it's really not a great issue. However, the colours were different and so more laundering ... all the washing etc has further shrunk the dress and now the lining is too long. I need to adjust that. At the moment the dress is too tight what with it shrinking and me expanding but that, the latter,  should be rectified over the course of the next few months.

 



This was after I inserted a new centre front piece - difference in colour and in direction noticeable.

 

Right way up.

I'm not quite sure if this counts as a Work in Progress or not. My youngest daughter gave me a number of garments to repair. One, a Bershka top, was irreparable but I agreed (why did I offer?) to re-make the top, taking out the embroidered panel from the original. I wasn't able to buy suitable lightweight cotton lawn in black but have bought white and plan to dye it. I'm in the process of deconstructing the garment to use the pieces as a pattern. I have no immediate plans to finish this.



You can't actually see the rips in the fabric in this view. Not just the seams, unfortunately.

 

Promises

I've already blogged about DD3 wanting a skirt made with our family tartan. I do have some heavy weight tartan which is likely, I think, to be okay for a mini skirt - but I learned tonight that she wants a pleated skirt but definitely not a kilt. So not sure. I had thought a simple shape would have been okay for me:

I have had no joy trying to get more tartan woven for us. Claire Kennedy of Sewing Artistry spoke in her blog about printing tartan and I asked her about that. She sent me a very helpful and comprehensive reply. However, there are problems with that route and I don't want to pursue it just for the moment, though I will do later. I won't necessarily make the skirt myself - if the fabric is suitable but the skirt is beyond my abilities, DD3 can take the skirt to a dressmaker. There must be many of those in London, though they are an endangered even extinct species in our area.

I want to make DH a jacket from the Burberry fabric I bought at Harrogate in November. We haven't agreed on a style and I haven't found a pattern yet so that is not in any priority list. I still haven't found any source of men's patterns. I will discuss this with D on Tuesday at my sewing bee as I know she recently purchased a pattern drafting for men book.

Progress

So how am I getting on so far, 4 days into January?

Well, I've been tidying and sorting my sewing room - it was regrettably taken over by our dining room over Christmas and New Year! Before I moved my fabric out, I sorted it by type and likelihood of usage time into clear boxes and not everything will be coming back in. I have a partial database of my stash but need to add the new wools that I bought in November.

I have sorted my sewing books, which remained in the dining room, and realise that some of those I bought are just not what I want so need to work out what to do with them.

I also re-sorted through my patterns. I list these on PR but have a few which I missed so need to add those. I got a couple of Craftsy classes for Christmas and now have some duplicate patterns as one class came with a pattern I already had. Also, Sew magazine, which I subscribe to, has, a couple of times, repeated a pattern I already have. So I have about 3 repeats. One pattern I have is in the too small size range - it's a Chanel type jacket and I don't have the skills to grade it up.

All of this fits into my PR challenges.

I have read quite a few blog posts. This can become time wasting rather than productive quite quickly, so I need to be careful. So far, it's been useful. I also took the opportunity to change my profile picture 

Old Profile Photo

I've had my hair cut again since then.

 
 


New Profile Photo

and add the 'follow me on Bloglovin' icon which I hadn't been able to add before. I did some searching and managed to solve that problem - Bloglovin didn't have my blog as mine because I'm listed under two separate email addresses and several different profiles. I've just taken one baby step today. I'm not sure how I'll proceed. I don't want to make my Google+ or Facebook profiles public.

I managed to sort out my overdue golf minutes - obviously this is not sewing related but I couldn't commit to a project with that hanging over me. I have started but not finished my tax return, ditto.

I haven't started any actual sewing although tonight I'm going to sit and try to start to repair the strap, which is way too short, on my daughter's strange top dress (!) and she'd like the flap removed (my sewing teacher says the flap is sewn to be flapping outside but DD doesn't like that and always tucked it in, then strap didn't lie correctly) so it's still a bit of a puzzle. I might have to ask D's advice at the sewing be on Tuesday.



Front of the dress

Back - where does flap go?





What's the loop? Flap is supposed to be out

apparently I already tried to repair



I haven't identified a January personal garment for MAGAM as yet. I'll think about that later in the month when I've gone through things a bit more. I think maybe a Style Arc cardigan as that would be useful over short sleeved tops and trousers and would also be a new to me pattern company, to fit in with January's MAGAM theme.

I tend to have a year-round wardrobe. We never get very warm or really that cold, especially not this year so far. So tops I wear in the summer, I can wear in the winter with a cardigan - though I don't even need that when I go to bridge as the room is very hot. The biggest change summer to winter is footwear and outerwear.

DD3 is going to send me some photos of skirts she likes and her measurements and I might try to make a muslin for size on Tuesday at my sewing bee. I'll be seeing her this coming weekend. As I was finishing this post , my daughter emailed to say she couldn't find the picture she had of the perfect skirt but sent me some inspiration, none of which are quite right, and none of which she's seen in real life:

  She would like it "waist high, with a waistband. Short, but not too short. Probably a bit pleated but not very pleated. A bit like a mix between a pleated school skirt and a skater skirt." "Short but not too short - about 16" she says and she's 6' tall. Well, she's slim, has endless legs  and can carry it.

I don't know if the thick fabric would work for these, At least I can start to look for a suitable pattern. I don't think it would be too difficult to make this, though. Just so long as she doesn't want it for Burns' Night!



All in all, I'm feeling quite happy. Everything I have committed to fits in with my plans and I don't feel any pressure, even though written down it sounds like a lot. Anyway, sewing isn't life or death!