bee creative

this weekend

Last Friday I noticed the first of the Autumn crocus.

This one a little darker purple than usual.

On Saturday I learned to use a thimble while sewing:

I took a class with Sarah Woodyard hosted by Tatter.  I wasn't sure how useful the class would be for me but thought it would be worth trying.  It was not only interesting, but I really did learn a lot and feel more confident about sewing clothing by hand.

The thimble I have belonged to one of my great grandmothers.  It came with a sewing kit my grandmother gave to me. 

I like it.

maybe

Three yards or so of hemp/cotton knit soaking in Buddleia. It's been there overnight.

This is the second soaking, the first in soy milk.

I will wring it out and hang it to dry today.

And then, perhaps, a dip in my almost exhausted indigo vat? Or maybe iron water?  I have some made but have yet to try it. Or maybe a bit of both for comparison? Or maybe a stencil with the iron?

I want to make a dress with this but it will need some mending or strategic cutting.  I was using it on my bed as a sheet. 

Knit is not a great choice for kneading kittens.

And, shared before but coming to me often right now:

Crepuscular midnight stands by the road,

Where the stars have spilled from it's purse.

You can not go over the road past the fence

Without trampling on the universe.

Boris Pasternak, "The Steppe"

the assistants at work

Maybe I will be able to lay this out while they are sleeping.

 The "April Skirt" by Specks & Keepings.

It's been a long time since I've bought a skirt pattern but this one really appealed.

I do have one small problem; when my computer crashed last week I lost the directions.

Pretty sure I can figure it out...

from the front porch: how to repurpose a dress into a tank top

 

I am imagining everyone on my front porch with me...

and if you listen carefully you can hear one of the cats.

One thing that I didn't mention, to avoid having to sew the side seams over, the bottom of the arm hole needs to meet the edge of the piece of clothing when you cut.  For me if it's an article of clothing that already fits me, it works.  If it's larger the side seams would need to be resewn as well. Extending the arm hole out does not work unless you don't care if your bra shows. It is also the best reason to use a sleeveless shirt pattern for this.

This works well with skirts too.  An example of how I did this can be found here.  The pictures in this post also provide an example of what I mean by the side seams.

Two other things as I replayed the video:

-This dress has a dart.  To make a new neckline/arm hole for this I would have to go below the dart to cut.

-I think it's really funny that my verbal tick was "so."  If I were a perfectionist I'd probably have done the video over. But I am not so there you go!

P.S.  I've never tried this with something that has sleeves but I have some ideas now that I want to try...

 

more hand sewing, more problem solving

Not the best picture but it tells a story.

Last night I decided I really wanted to wear this dress today but the facing needed some repair (really wasn't the best fabric choice for facing).  I also have wanted pockets on this.

So...with some help from my trusty assistants, I folded the dress in half so that the side seams were in the middle, placed the facing pattern just below the arm hole on the seam line, cut out a new arm hole and neckline, flipped the pattern piece upside down and over to the other side, cut the rest of the neckline and the second arm hole. I had to cut a little more out of the neckline to get it over my head and to smooth things out.

I then sewed the shoulder seams (french seams) and finished the neckline and arm holes with a rolled hem, which is the most common way I finish necklines, armholes and hems. This is the proper way to do a rolled hem. I skip the ironing and just roll the hem, finger press, and stitch once.

I'll use the fabric I cut off to make a pocket later, but for today it's ready to go!

P.S.

The side seams are now center seams. 

more on the shirt, part two (design as you go)

The inside seams: one french seam, the other bound with rayon cut on the bias (leftover from another project). Would have been better if the rayon had been just a tad bit wider as I didn't get it all tucked in.  It will fray some but not as bad as the linen! I really like French seams. For anyone interested is a comparison of different ways to finish inside seams.

The more I play with patterns, the more it becomes that the pattern, the piece of clothing, is fluid for me.

I started this project with the idea that it would be a dress but after I had everything stitched together and I tried it on I realized it just didn't work for me.

I looked at it for awhile and realized two things were bothering me, the sleeve length and the length of the dress itself. 

Sleeve length is an easy one for me.  I know what works.  There is a length that is flattering and a length that isn't. And there is a length that just irritates me...like a scratchy label or a rock in your shoe.  The solution was easy.  Cut off a few inches so that it hit the sweet spot. 

The length of the dress puzzled me.  It was the same length at the tank top style dresses and the rayon dress that I've made which I love.  What was different? Answer:  solid color. Way too much solid color. So I cut off about 15 inches from the bottom and made it tunic length.

New plan: skirt with leftover fabric from the shirt plus other pieces of fabric to coordinate.

#63 just cut the sleeves off

The arm holes were a little bigger than I wanted so I cut the shoulder seams as well and will resew.

Also adding a third pocket to cover a bleach stain.

Now to get some thread.

P.S.  I don't sew facings anymore but love the pattern piece for altering necklines, arm holes and some other things too. More on that later, 'cause I just realized that's something I need to look at more. 

#56 transform

Sometimes it's good to find a field to stand in (or even on the edge of).

This one is across the street from where I work. It had a "For sale" sign up but that's gone now.  There was a petition for it to be used as a park as it's on the edge of a public trail but a lot of areas like this here are used for apartments. It's pretty amazing that it's been like this for as long as it has.

It would be a good place to stretch your wings (and there are many that already do). 

I hope it does become a park.

A good place to take a deep breath.

We all need that.

I've finished updating my summer/hot weather wardrobe and am starting to re-imagine clothing that isn't worn much or scraps from the stash that have potential to be transformed. 

 

 

#52 try things

A few more new things for the wardrobe. Two more versions of the top from The Act of Sewing by Sonya Philip.  These were both made from the top pattern.

Fabric: Cotton voile

Construction notes: Ruching on the shoulders with elastic. It gathers up the fabric to create a ruffle. 

Thoughts: Supper comfortable to wear on a hot day. I added the ruching as an afterthought.  It made the shirt fit better.

 

Fabric: Cotton knit

Construction Notes:  Cut two of the back pattern pieces to have a shallower neckline, otherwise the neck opening can be too big.  

Thoughts: A knit fabric drapes well and is flattering.

Notes to self:  Remember to use clothes pins when hanging this shirt to dry.

 

#51 tell a story

 

Do we create our own story with the things we make?

Storyteller as a personality type.

Thinking about the story a wooden spoon, homemade apricot jam and a dress might tell.

Fabric: rayon

Pattern: Top and skirt from The Act of Sewing by Sonya Philip. I overlapped the two patterns to make a dress. 

It swirls in the breeze. 

I can't help but think of a dance.