Skip to main content

2 Cross the Finish Line

Yes!  Despite travel (3 international trips and one 10-day California trip) crazy fitting challenges and a steep learning curve, I actually finished two projects.


1. this jacket:


I bought the cashmere wool here in UB back in January.  Took it to US in February.  After wrangling the thing to the ground regarding fitting, I almost finished it before my return to UB in April, but not in time for Easter.  After all that work, I didn't want to hurry the finishing work.  Now, it's really too warm to wear here; so will have to wait until the fall.


Still, I'm pleased.  I learned to do my first full bust adjustment and used a new interfacing from Palmer Flesche, interfacing the entire front.  Learned a thing or two about lining.  Lining well that is.  I used the rayon Ambiance and  love it.  Hope to work with nothing else in the future.  Beautiful feel next to the skin, it breathes, and was lovely to sew.  I used a deep plum color.  Yes, that is binding I made from the lining as the pattern left me with 1 1/2" of raw edge on that front facing.  Yes, I did it right.  I checked.


While at the YSL show, a new sewing buddy was going on about how she loves doing buttonholes by hand.  ????  Yikes.  My machine does waaay better than I could.  




2.  This wall hanging:


After cutting it out in US last summer, then taking it to UB in the fall where I did the hand applique (a first for me--but I didn't want the leaves "nailed" down with a machine blanket stitch), it went back to the US where nothing got done.  Schlepped it back to UB in April...and ta da!  Ready to hang on the wall over our bed here in UB.


An aside:  the apartment here in UB was redone last spring--new floors, paint, wall paper, etc. to rid it of 7 years of coal dust, etc.  ---AND all things pink/purple/blue and shiny.  Mongolians love shiny and sparkly.  Now, our bedroom is a peaceful blend of carmel and chocolate.  Yes, yummy.  The wall hanging will go perfectly.  Except now it looks like we'll be moving.  Been looking at other pink & purple glitter-y apartments.  Sigh.


Now it's just waiting for Randy to get the big drill gun out to hang it.   The apartments here have 3-foot thick concrete/brick walls.  No just nailing something up.  And then changing your mind.  Nooo.


Next on the cutting table:
I'm on my 2nd muslin--with only Randy to help me out with the fitting issues.  Very humbling.  You know, this is my 2nd Amazing Fit pattern and I am not amazed at all.  --but I'm learning a lot!  Grrr.  Quilting and binding the wall hanging was pure joy--just to sew something.  Successfully.


I'm still determined to win this fitting thing and end up with some patterns to come back to without all the hassel.  I hope to make the jacket again in a houndstooth wool I have and the dress in the sleeveless for summer.  


Woman over pattern!
I'm thinking of leaving the Big 4 and crossing over to the dark side and trying StyleArc patterns
...where it's rumored they fit.  
Without muslins.



Comments

Jana Alexander said…
Love, love, love that jacket...absolutely gorgeous style!
Jana

Popular posts from this blog

Bloggers' Quilt Festival!

I'm so tickled to be a part of this year's Bloggers' Quilt Festival !  My entry was done in Outer Mongolia (literally!  --read on).  This quilt is one of my favorite recent projects that I named "Renegade Geisha's" --renegade because two of the geisha's don't conform to the rest (mainly because I ran out of coordinating fabrics!).  Can you find the two renegades?  ;)  The quilt incorporates fabric origami and the quilt itself is from  Fantastic Fabric Folding  --many projects from this book were a big hit with the Mongolian class pictured below. Due to my husband's work, we live in Mongolia; and I was privileged to teach classes at a local quilting studio.  I've included a picture of the class where we were working on the geisha blocks.  The students spoke almost no English and I speak what I call Monglish--a lot of English sprinkled with Mongolian.  Regardless, we all had a blast!  ...and, I'm very pleased with this quilt of mine!

Much Needed New Winter Robe - Vogue 9232

Last spring I chucked my 20-year-old bathrobe, giving me no choice but to replace it come winter.  Granted, I never took it to Mongolia, so it only got worn when I was home in the US.  But still.  For summer I made several light weight robes, but I knew I liked the style of my old RTW one.   When I saw reviews for Vogue 9232--on PR (all 3 of them), I knew I'd found my pattern.  Interestingly enough, the pattern is actually for a caftan-type dress; but all 3 reviews were done up as a robe.       Sham's review   in particular had great tips.   On a trip to Colorado Fabrics  in early summer I spotted a beeeuuutiful pink sweatshirt type fabric.  The outside is more like a thick knit and inside is dreamy soft.  And it's baby pink!  Which is hard to tell in the pics as we in Colorado have had lots of rain and no sunshine. And OK, I'm no photographer.  But seriously, this is like stepping into a pink cloud.   I made a small through the neck, shoulders and sleeves

A Stitch Sisters Kimono for Dubai

My husband had meetings come up quick in Dubai and of course I tagged along!  We were going to be there a week and I wanted a lightweight kimono-type pullover for the pool and getting out of the shower.  I had snagged a gorgeous white linen/cotton (guessing on this) here in UB that was perfect.  My inspiration came from Lisa's over at  Lisa's Carolina | Handmade .  I'm not good at pattern drafting and this was a quick FREE measure and cut tutorial of Stitch Sisters--find their Patternless Pattern Link  here .   I'm so happy with this!  It basically took me an afternoon.  The directions are great--and they include 5/8" seam allowances--yay!--as I wanted to turn under and top stitch them since I don't have a serger here.  I left off the ties.  Shapeless worked for this.  I also raised the neckline by about 1.5" The neckline was a little trickier as I didn't have any bias on hand and there is no "running out" anywhere here.  So, I used