Vogue 1224 Tracy Reese dress

This weekend I finished this knit dress and wore it to work today. I love this dress but I had the hardest time getting a picture that showed what I was seeing;it is a grey and humid day, my hair is "on the frizz" and the camera did not want to be my friend. Anyways on to the review.

This dress has a high waist, I added my usual 1.5 in in the Big Four patterns and it sits above my natural waist. It is a very easy dress to construct what takes the longest is inserting the elastic and the elastic/ties. I will be shortening the length of the elastic in the neckline to close it in some. I also addded 4-5 in of length to the skirt (I'm 5' 6");the camera angle makes the hem look to be below my knee but it is really mid knee on me.



As you can see I added the lining in the skirt as instructed since my rayon knit is lightweight. I had a chance to play with my serger and reproduced the picot edge finish Ann showed in her blog.

I know my bright print prevents you from seeing a lot of details but this pattern is super cute!

Another almost identical pose...I need to be more creative when posing

Meeting up with Andrea

Photo courtesy of Andrea

So what is better than spending the day at Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival with a knitting buddy? Spending the day with a knitting buddy who also crochets and sews! Conversation was never lacking!!

Andrea and I met for the first time at Philadelphia's Pattern Review weekend a year ago, and we made plans to get together this year at Sheep and Wool. We both had similar plans as to what we were looking for so we kept each other in line ;-) The weather cooperated and we had a gorgeous day. She drove down with her knitting group and they had set up a space under the trees so we had a relaxing spot to meet and rest and chat.

This year the festival was the biggest by far, many more vendors than in previous years, I agree with Andrea that Ravelry has had a lot to do with spreading the word about this fantastic event.

I had commented on her blog about Burda 7866 and how I couldn't find it locally, so she brought me a copy! She was wearing her version of this pattern, and I really liked it. She showed me how she treated the neckline, clever girl!, I believe she'll share on her blog later.

I'm almost done with my son's pjs and I look forward to working on the Vogue 1224, but first I have to finish working on my planters since I bought my herbs and annuals yesterday.

Happy Mother's Day!!

What I'm working on

I am really excited how the skirt of the Vogue Knitting mag winter 06/07 is coming along. The yarn I'm using Gedifra Mayra is slightly heavier weight than the yarn that the pattern calls for so I played with gauge swatches to determine hook size and the size that I needed to chain for.

Below is a picture of the design,



I'm working on pjs for my youngest son, who after outgrowing his present pjs decided that I could make him a pair. So I'm using a pattern from my stash. The fabric is a cotton jersey from Fabric Mart.



I also have the pattern ready to cut Vogue 1224. I think you probably have seen this pattern made up by quite a few sewists and I'm sure the fabric is familiar too, it is a rayon jersey from Joann.



I don't have to work today until this afternoon so I'm catching up on housework and maybe get some sewing in.

Stay well!

Burda Style 10/2008 116

These pictures were a long time coming so Ta Dah!

For this jacket I used a double knit from Fabric Mart, I love the color and I originally was going to make a dress and then I came across this pattern and my plans change.

The jacket is unlined, I'm not showing you the inside because my serger thread is grey, so far the only color I have, not much of a match for this beautiful purple. No changes to the design or order of construction were made, just followed Burda's instructions. I did stitch the neckline facing down by stitching in the ditch, no flopping facings for me! I chose a black separating zipper, since I thought it would look nice with a black belt.

Do I like this jacket? Oh yes! It will fit very nicely with my existing wardrobe.

Worn here with Vogue 8663

I'm still here!

Well, I got a nasty cold, then the allergies hit me, at the same time last week was one of the busiest ever! I guess because school is off this week everyone was trying to get their meetings done.

I have made progress in the Burda jacket, it is going well. I'm finally done altering the prom dress; my son's friend was ecstatic with the fit when she tried on her dress on Friday, what a difference good fit makes!

I have been playing with crochet swatches for a couple of different dresses, I have wanted to crochet a dress for a while so when I'm done with the finishing on the knitting projects (winter wear) I will commit to the dress. I couldn't find the magazine picture online but here is the Ravelry link of the Winter 2006/2007 Vogue Knitting Crocheted dress by Michael Kors. I also ordered yarn for this Interweave Knits design



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I promise to get pictures of the jacket this week, I should have plenty of time to get it done.

Burda jacket is cut!

Yesterday I had some time and I was able to cut the jacket. I also stabilized neckline, armhole and front with fusible bias tape. Next I get to use my sewing machine!

This and that

Yesterday after work I went to DSW to find comfortable black flats, I was pretty lucky and came out with a great comfortable pair. I love fashionable shoes but some days you need a comfy pair that will take you through hours of standing at work. Anyways, on my way out I noticed that they had opened a Hobby Lobby on the same shopping center. I have heard of this store but never been in. As you can expect most of their merchandise is the crafty kind you find at Joanns and Michaels, but they do sell McCalls and Simplicity patterns. The cabinets were new and opened without a fight and the inventory was excellent. McCalls was on sale for 99c so I bought two.

McCalls 6341

McCalls 6282

As some of you know I also like making quilts and these crooked log cabin designs have attracted me for a while. The knit dress I think will look great I like the ruching on the sides.


I haven't cut my jacket yet I have been altering a prom dress for a friend of DS1, not fun, and I have been patching up DS2's pants, also not fun.

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On Sunday I made cinnamon scones. I used a recipe from Simply Scones: Quick and Easy Recipes for More than 70 Delicious Scones and Spreads. The recipe is for a fig and walnut scone, I left out those two ingredients and added cinnamon and nutmeg to the dry ingredients. I used to add cinnamon chips but they have disappeared from my supermarkets =(. I also don't shape the dough into a round and double bake it (traditional instructions for scones) I just "drop" them on the baking sheet. There were two left by Monday morning which my sons had for breakfast before going to school. I highly recommend this little recipe book!

So where is my jacket?

Well, I have been playing chofer for my son who was part of the stage crew for his high school spring theater production, in between I got sick (24 hr stomach bug), I worked, tried to keep up with laundry, made family meals...you get the picture...no jacket.

I did manage to finish knitting the Swing Cardigan that I was knitting. It came as a kit and I ran out of yarn to finish the collar. I was able to find another skein and now is awaiting sewing up the side seams/sleeves and other finishing.















I also added a border to the Happiness blanket, and now all that remains is to weave in a couple of ends.






I love it!

Mrs Obama wears a crochet dress

Picture from http://michelleostyle.blogspot.com/

and how pretty and chic does she look? Just another reminder that crochet is not just about Granny Squares (which I love for home decor!)

Ready to be cut

is Burda 10/2008 # 116A. The fabric is a ponti di Roma knit which is the recommended fabric. This pattern has been reviewed favorably and I think it will make a great transtion jacket.

I love this issue of Burda I made a knit top years ago from it and now I have around 10 designs on my list to make.












Besides the flowers popping out in my yard, another sign of spring,
Clio patrolling her yard. While she loves her yard year round, as soon as it gets warmer she spends most of her days out rediscovering all the wonderful smells and sights.

My Image magazine Winter Tunic 1010

I loved many of the designs of this magazine's first issue and after making this dress, I'm glad I went ahead and bought the spring issue.



I lengthened the pattern so that I could wear it as a dress, and as always used multiple sizes (38-42) to get the right fit. I also lengthened the bodice after measuring the pattern. The instructions,I read to look at order of construction but this was an easy dress to put together, all the pieces fitted well together. There are many seams (princess on the back, and the skirt has 6 panels) so lots of opportunity for nice fitting.



Because the fabric I used, cotton knit from Michael's fabrics, is very drapey my collar wont stand up to fill in the length of the tabs. I cut them to fit over the folded collar. As you can see in the above picture the shoulder seam is falling off my shoulder a bit; I don't know if this is due to the weight of the fabric pulling or if the 38 in these patterns has a wider shoulder than Burda. It doesn't bother me enough to pull out stitches and re-sew though =0

I'm very happy with the dress, I'm glad I got to wear it before the temperatures go up.

Hot Patterns Wrapture Jacket

If you like this out-of-print pattern, Hot Patterns has a couple for sale at their etsy shop.

Simplicity visits Kashi

I was looking at the interview of the Simplicity Project Runway Contest winner, and there was Kashi of Metro Textiles. It really made me want to head over there, his place is like a treasure hunt, you always find more than what you were looking for, and because I rarely visit I allow myself quite a bit.

Not to be mean, but don't you think the designer's pink dress neckline is poorly constructed and fitted?. I'm all for being creative, but I think to design one must have construction skills perfected.

Pictures soon of My Image dress!

Manequim Magazine - A review

My first impression was that it was a "Lucky type" magazine with patterns thrown in. There was no page which included all line drawings like the other pattern magazines.


Click on pictures to see it better!

In the picture above you can see how they replicate an outfit from what I believe is some celebrity and they include a garment from one of their patterns in the look.



Like Lucky magazine does they have a fashion spread for different occasions, work, weekend. In the pages above they summarized all the pieces they used and identified the patterns included in the magazine. They also tell you what body type works better for each emsemble.



There was an interview, the lady in the picture who is a broadcaster, and she modeled several patterns, including the cover. I found it refreshing that she looks a normal size and that they didn't find it necessary to photoshop her birthmark/mole out. I really like the top pattern here.

There is a lot of beauty advice and even a recipe section. They also had a pattern for a crochet dress and some crochet accessories.

The pattern sheet is no worse than the new Burda sheets but patterns come in only one size. I took a quick look at the measurements and they seem comparable to Patrones. This issue has summer designs and there are quite a few that I liked. The grey dress (mod 109) with the zipper over the shoulder reminded me of McCalls 6243 but in a wowen.

I do not know Portuguese but there are a lot of words that are very similar or the same as Spanish (pear - Spanish pera - Portuguese pera) so I can get the main idea.

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I'm hoping to finish my My image dress this weekend!

I was weak

I went to Joann's yesterday to buy thread and buttons for the My Image dress I'm ready to sew. I was happy that I found buttons I liked and then I decided to check on the patterns and saw that the Simplicity patterns were on sale. I bought a couple of the Lisette patterns and then saw what I think are perfect coordinating fabrics to use with Simplicity 2211, I want to make the longer skirt and short sleeve blouse. I really loved the color of the teal twill and finally settled on the irregular polka dot lightweight cotton for the top.


A while ago I asked my best friend from college, who is Brazilian and living in NYC, if she had heard of the pattern magazine Manequim. She told me she remembered her mother using it and would see if she saw it in the city. Two days ago the magazine came in the mail. I haven't looked through it yet, I've been trying to find some quiet time with no luck the past few days, but I can't wait!


More soon!

Made by me, on my birthday

Made by me: Kwik Sew 2759 tank top, Interweave Knits crochet skirt


Today I start a new decade. I'm sorry but I have no words of wisdom. I am grateful for my life and my family. I am also thrilled that I still feel, except for a few aches and pains, very much like I did two decades ago, and there's something to be said for that!

I'm off to enjoy my day (no work today yay!). Next time I'll have something new to show.

On with more cold weather sewing

I thought you might like to see the nun habit I just finished. I made two complete outfits but the robe is not worth showing, it is a shapeless tunic and in black which is impossible to photograph well. I will be delivering the costumes tomorrow in time for their costume parade, part of the festivities before the show starts.

Now I can go back to my My Image dress; it will be in the forties again tomorrow, I think I will still have a chance to wear this dress...

Sewing with a deadline

My son this year joined the Stage Crew group at his high school; he is also taking Drama (Theater Arts) and he is really enjoying it from "behind the curtain". When his teacher asked for help from any seamstresses in the parent community how could I say no? So...My Image dress, (I'm making M1010)is waiting while I work on two nun costumes, Simplicity 2518.

They need to be done by March 5, so excuse me for now, I got to run!

Burda 01-2011 Number 126

I have been wanting to make this coat for a while and I remembered that I had this double sided wool/blend knit and that it would be perfect for this pattern. Of course finding the fabric took a while, I can identify with Carolyn who just wrote about being able to find fabric in your stash.



I stabilized the neckline at the back and the armholes at front and back with bias fusible tape.

I used my serger, yay!, to finish seams. Since this is a very simple pattern I wanted to show one interesting construction detail. There is a vertical dart that starts at the shoulder, close the front opening that ends a little above the bust point. I was looking at the directions thinking that they had forgotten to tell us to sew the dart, but they didn't. When attaching the collar to the back neckline you start at the center and keep sewing towards the dart and sew it in one swoop. You then do the other side the same way.





I could have used either side of this fabric and I considered using binding in the gray on the sleeves and hem. I decided that the long lines of this design would be better shown off without and I love the way it looks this way. Besides the gray peeks through all the time on the collar and when walking.



I love this coat and I highly recommend it, it is perfect for warmer days when you still feel a bit of chill.

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Next up a dress from the winter My image magazine.

Addressing comments on V8663

the slapdash sewist asked me to share any tips on handling the facing at the neckline for Vogue 8663 and whether I had modified the skirt to give it more swing.

I did not use facings on this pattern as you can see in the photos below. The pattern instructed us to use pre-packaged bias seam binding to finish the neckline. I did not think this treatment would work well for my fabric so I just turned the allowance to the inside, top stitched and then trimmed close to the stitching.



I did not modify the skirt, this pattern has a swingy skirt.

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Gail suggested that if I had a purple cardigan/jacket it would work very well with this dress.

Gail I actually tried on my purple cardigan on first and liked it, but I was in a monotone mood that day and went for the black. Great minds and all...

Did you know

Image from Simplicity.com

that Simplicity has named a pattern collection after me? Well not after me, but it has my name. Check out the Lisette Collection it's got some cute styles, a bit young, but we all know we can usually make any pattern work for us with the right alterations, fabric selection and accessories.

How could I not try a pattern from this beautifully named collection? ;-)

Vogue 8663

Edited-to-add: Audrey asked about the fabric print which I neglected to address. Yes, Audrey, I too fell in love with animal prints this year. I loved that the color was unusual for a leopard print. I bought it at Joann's at the beginning of the fall season.

There isn't much to say about this dress. It was a very easy knit dress with the so popular now pleated neckline. The pleats gave me the usual trouble, always have to play with them before settling on a look I like. I eliminated the zipper, the neckline was wide enough and although my knit was pretty stable it had enough stretch to allow putting on this dress without a problem.



As you can see my sleeves end above the elbow, I really had to squeeze this pattern on the fabric I had. Even though I eliminated the zipper I had to keep the seam on the back skirt to fit it in.

I'm wearing this dress as I type, so comfortable! I came home in between interpreting assignments to take some quick pictures (excuse the flash photography!)

Learning the serger

The Vogue dress is done but I haven't had a chance for pictures; I'll review it then just know that it was very easy to put together.

In the meantime I cut Burda 01/2011 Mod 126 out of a knit I bought at Metro Textiles, NY a while ago.



Since I wanted to use the serger to finish the edges, I threaded it with grey (the only color I have so far), and started experimenting. I'm quite proud of myself for overcoming my trepidations and making myself stop reading more books on sergers. I figure I can make small steps and now I can at least finish seams, construction with the serger is another thing...



Here is my fabric sample, the fabric is rust with a gray wrong side. I guess it could be considered double sided, the wrong side has a less noticeable rib pattern.

A knit dress

Vogue 8663, image from Vogue Patterns site

Last week was extremely busy for me so I just did a lot of thinking about sewing. I got this cute pattern out and now is ready to be cut, I hope to have some time this weekend.

Many of you have been watching Downton Abbey and the gorgeous fashions of the time. I am obsessing about a maxi skirt and I might have found a pattern I like in my collection. I still have to find fabric in my stash so I'll post more about that later.

We were lucky last week and the worst we got was ice, no more snow came my way. Of course temperatures are still in the 20s(F) and although I'm liking a lot of the spring patterns I'm still in the mood for winter sewing. I have been wearing the coat I made last year and I've been toasty warm as well as stylish ;-)

Stay safe!