The Boalsburg Top

Hello, hello!  I'm back again!

I've been pattern testing for Itch to Stitch* again and this one is such a good one! Ok - I've pretty much loved every pattern that I've tested for Kennis.  I do realize I'm probably a broken record on that subject, but they just always fit me so well.  I've made so many of her patterns over the years and I don't think I've ever been disappointed in any of them.  Some of them maybe my fabric choice has led to me feeling kind of "meh" about them, but certainly not the pattern's fault.  It's as though she creates her patterns just for me! LOL!

So let me introduce you to this newest pattern.  Boalsburg is a dropped shoulder beauty that allows for either colour blocking or a single colour sweater with some interesting seam details.  My favourite thing about it is the fact that it's allowed me to use up some randoms bits and bobs of fabric in my stash that weren't big enough for any single project.  

Stash busting is one of my goals this year. Obviously not one I'll stick to rigidly. I'm not about to sign up for the Last Sewist Standing Challenge or anything like that.  I'm still going to get new fabric and not feel badly about it - I love being part of the Minerva Ambassador team, so I'll have new fabric coming to me through that, and sometimes a project just calls for something that I don't have readily at hand.  But my thought is, that if I have something suitable, I'll try to use stash fabric first when possible.  I'm going to see if I can take the stash down at least a bit this year, because my sewing room is slowly being taken over by it.

Anyway, back to the subject at hand.  The Boalsburg.  My first one was a wearable toile basically.  I didn't finish any of the seam allowances and didn't worry too much about my thread not matching well because I wasn't terribly sure how I would feel about it.  I felt a bit iffy about my fabric choices.  Now I'm thoroughly annoyed with myself because I love it and wish I'd taken more care in the inner details. Thankfully no one but me can see those minor details and because the fabric is jersey, it's not going to fray at all, so no need to worry there.

As I said, this first version is jersey and made entirely from fabrics from the Fabric Snob's Luxe Solids line.  The Thistle coloured one was leftover from my Sunday Romper I made a few summers ago.  The black from my sweater knit/jersey Lamma Hoodie and the grey I can't remember what it was used for.  

For my second version, I dug through my bins of fabric and found some sweater knits all of the same weight and gave that a go.  This time I used matching thread and finished off all the seam allowances with my serger so that I'd be just as happy with the outside as the inside of my sweater.  

The dark grey fabric was from a Blackwood Cardi I made for my daughter several years ago, the blue from a Blackwood I made for my mama for Christmas this year and the light grey from my Coimbra Wrap Top that I made last winter!

This is the softest, snuggliest sweater ever!  I'm so impressed with how it all came together. And will get lots of wear out of it.  It's a nice light weight so perfect for the days where I want to wear a sweater, but nothing too heavy.  

I've thought about making a single colour Boalsburg.  Several testers did, and they look fabulous, but I feel when a colour blocking/stash busting opportunity presents itself I should take full advantage of it!

The Boalsburg will be on sale for the release week over on the Itch to Stitch website if you're wanting to pick up a copy for yourself.

A Trio Of Elliots

Hello all!  Here we are almost a week later since my last post.  How is everyone doing?  I waver between calm, rational thought and obsessive worrying and anxiety lately.   There seems to be no middle ground for me.

So I thought I'd distract myself with a long overdue post about my trio of Helen's Closet Elliot Sweaters that I made earlier in the new year.  How have I neglected to blog about them?  I wear them all the time!  Next time One Week One Pattern roles around it will be a no brainer for me given I have a total of five Elliots now! You can see my previous versions here and here.  Oh!  And I made my daughter one last year for Christmas... I don't think I have a photo of that one though.  I love this pattern.  Can you tell?

Let's get down to business here!  Note - these might not actually be in order of how I sewed them. Too many weeks and too many things have gone on in between to remember details like that and I'm a bit too lazy to figure it all out right now.  It doesn't really matter anyway.

Elliot #1 :

I sewed this one as an entry for the Fabric Snob's sew along.  It has a few mods to it - I lengthened the front, lowered the neckline slightly,  and simply lengthened the sleeves following the pattern lines so they ended up somewhat belled.  I LOVE this sweater.  It's in a hacci sweater knit from the Fabric Snob.  They still have it stock right now as a matter of fact.

Elliot #2 :

A t-shirt version is up next.  This one I'm not quite as happy with because first I lengthened it too much and then I shortened it too much.  WHY?  Why do I do that so often? ??  And now I feel that it hits at an awkward point maybe.  Also the sleeves need to be shortened just a smidge still.  I followed View C with the banded neckline, and had, as mentioned, initially lengthened it to have a curved hem.  I also initially shortened the sleeves somewhat from the pattern, but still not enough for my preference. After over shortening the top itself I'm scared I'll shorten the sleeves with reckless abandon as well and regret it.  What I don't regret at all is the fabric I used.  This one is a tri-blend jersey also from the Fabric Snob (and also still in stock) and it is so, so soft and comfy!

Elliot #3 :

I'm not going to lie... this one could be my very favourite of all my Elliots maybe.  It's definitely right up there. What seems like forever ago, Helen posted photos of herself wearing an Elliot dress.  She looked amazing in it and I couldn't get the idea of a Elliot dress out of my head.  I had some French Terry from Water Tower Textiles sitting in my stash since last August waiting to be used, and it seemed perfect for a dress with such simple lines.  For this one I simply extended the front and back to the length I wanted to have a straight hem and the rest is as View A is designed.  This dress makes me feel like a million bucks. It's comfy (hello, secret pjs!), easy to throw on and easy to wear.  It checks all the boxes!  Thanks for the inspiration, Helen!!

So there you go!  There's my three Elliots in all their glory!  It's such a great "blank canvas" type pattern with its simple design lines and possibilities for hacking.  Helen also has a great post up on her blog with her versions of just her tees which could be a great jumping off point if you're looking for inspiration!

That's it for me now - back to reality, housework and making supper.  Until next time, I wish you all to stay safe and healthy and remember, especially in these difficult times to try and share kindness and light as you go throughout your day.

The Jessi Hoodie

Ages ago - I feel like maybe as far back as late fall - one of the sewing groups I belong to on Facebook was hosting a sew along for the Jessi Hoodie by CoEmi.  I snapped up the pattern, bought the paper needed to print it off (It's a European pattern so required A4 - I made do with 8 1/2 x 14 " to accommodate the extra length needed and it worked just fine), printed and then assembled it all in short order.  Then proceeded to have zero time to sit down and trace the pattern out, add seam allowances and cut fabric out, let alone sew it up.  So it sat in a big pile on top of my desk until the beginning of March.

I've seen this pattern everywhere on Facebook for months now. It seems like ALL the custom fabric group sewists are especially crazy about it.  I really liked the look of it and thought it would be perfect for work, so I finally dragged my roll of tracing paper out and set to the business of tracing and adding seam allowances to all the bits and bobs.  It really wasn't an onerous task and now that it's done and I'm so happy with how it turned out I wonder why on earth I waited so long, other than time was, as always, at a premium.

I decided that my peached herringbone jersey from Blended Thread Fabrics would be great for the main fabric and instead of buying a co-ordinate for the rest, I decided to make do by utilizing as much of the charcoal Fabric Snob jersey from my ill fated New Horizons Vermont cardi that I'd made earlier in the year. (You never saw that one.  It was a complete fit disaster on me.  I don't know why I strayed from my beloved Blackwood Cardi in the first place).  So the cowl contrast was cut from the back of the cardi, the front side panels from the cardi fronts.  I cut the cuffs off and used them as is, and did the same with the cardi bottom band, so cuffs and band weren't exactly as the pattern measures, but did the trick nicely. I was pleased that the only "waste" left over from the cardi was the front bands which were so bizarrely stretched out of shape they were garbage anyway, and the sleeves, which I'll save for contrast on something for the little boys.

I have really loved wearing this top and reach for it so very often on cooler days, so I thought I'd make another version.  This time I used a panel from the custom print company, Midnight Mountain Fabrics which is located in the city. Being from the flat as flat can be prairies, I've always been drawn to the mountains. Some might even call it obsessed with them. I love their majesty, ruggedness and beauty, so I couldn't resist the panel when the pre-order went up a few months ago.  I combined it again with a jersey solid from The Fabric Snob.  This time since I was starting out from scratch I used the pattern pieces for the cuffs and measurements for the bottom band.  I like the bottom band's width, but the cuffs feel just a bit too long and too snug for my liking.  I'd probably like just an extra quarter of an inch width and a 1/4 of an inch shorter for my personal preference.  I'm not sure if it's the difference in fabric, or if I totally used the wrong seam allowance (How on earth do you do that when you're the one that added the seam allowance in the first place...The mind.  It boggles sometimes! LOL), but this one turned out really relaxed and verging on baggy.  I've taken it in some on the side seams and will wait until it's gone through the wash a couple of times in case it shrinks then I may leave it in it's still "relaxed fit" state, or may take it in more - I just feel that the minute I take it in, is the minute that it's going to shrink like a beast in the wash and I'm going to be living in a world of so much regret.  So for the time being it stays as is.

I used the "BIG Jessi" pattern. (Wow!  Not sure how I feel about the naming of the pattern - thanks for pointing out the obvious there CoEmi, because we larger ladies might not realize we're bigger than your regular pattern size range already.  But whatever.  Slight annoyance aside, I wasn't going to let myself be put off by that.  Maybe it's a translation thing.  I don't know.) As for the nitty gritty pattern details, the fit is pretty good (if you follow your seam allowance choice you made...), and it's a nice flattering design.  It has one heck of a huge cowl - if you feel the need to hide your head in a shell like a turtle, this is your pattern. LOL!

Or if you'd rather, there's a nice big hood option as well. You also have options to put in pockets (I didn't bother) and if you're a nursing mama, the pattern tells you how to add hidden zippers along the princess seam lines to make it breastfeeding friendly. Certainly not a feature I'd need anymore, but might be quite handy for others.  I like that you can mix and match fabrics and that it's a perfect way to use those fun custom print panels that are all over the internet that I seem to be acquiring but haven't previously had a hot clue what to do with.

I'm am pretty much delighted with both my versions and am currently pondering if I should make a third version, but this time with french terry and just a regular jewel neckline instead of hood or cowl.  Although, the weather has been glorious, so maybe I should just turn my thoughts to spring sewing instead... we shall see!

Ooops! I Did It Again...

So.  It happened.  I didn't mean for it to happen, but there you have it.  I had some jersey in my stash begging to be sewn up and really, I should have grabbed a different pattern, because I think it is likely just a teensy bit possible that one should branch out and sew something different once in a while.  However, these days sewing time is limited and the pattern was sitting right there on top of the pile of patterns and Oooops!  I did it again.  I further added to my already overly extensive Molly Top collection.

I can't even say anything about it because once you've sewn something ten or eleven times and you've talked about it eight or nine times previously there's just not a whole lot left to say.

So lets talk about these recent fabric choices instead.

The first one is an oh so very soft poly/rayon/spandex jersey from The Fabric Snob.  It's drapey and did I mention oh so soft?  I did my short sleeved, v-neck mod for my Molly because it's currently my favourite way to sew it up.  (admittedly because for whatever reason I can easily sew a v-neck shaped band on a neckline, whereas doing a regular one I seem to manage to mess up every single time.WHY?!?! Its like the fact I can't make Kraft Dinner.  Or Jello.  I don't know... I'm just weird that way I guess.)

The second one is a jersey of unknown specification that I snagged a year or more ago out of the clearance bin at Fabricland.  It has Llamas on it.  You know I couldn't leave it behind.  But there is precisely no drape to it and somewhat less stretch than desired.  Plus there's just something about wearing an entire tee covered in Llamas (or maybe they're Alpacas - I'll have to check out their ears and decide from there I guess) that felt just a little bit too quirky.  But it does make one heck of a fine pyjama top.  And if you've got a top?  Well, quite frankly you might as well make bottoms (I used the Halla Patterns sleep shorts pattern  and they took all of ten minutes to whip up by the by).  So win win!  I got to use my llama/alpaca fabric, I got to sew another Molly top, and I have new summer pyjammies!

Now I'm going to try and take a bit of a break from Molly for a while, but honestly? I really can't make any promises...

Wrapping Up One Week One Pattern

I'm not even going to bother with making excuses for not blogging or pretend that I might get back on some semblance of schedule with it.  But I'm here for the time being and I wanted to do a wrap up of sorts of my first experience participating in the One Week, One Pattern challenge, which is just as it sounds.  You choose one pattern for one week and either wear different versions of it, or style it differently or a mix of both.

The challenge was hosted by Sheona of Sewisfaction this year and if anyone can persuade someone to want to take part in something Sheona, with her bubbly, cheerful personality is just the person to do it.  I love her vlog posts and instagram stories and feeds.  She is down to earth and so easy to relate too.  So when she announced she was hosting this year, I couldn't help but join in.

I had a hard time deciding which pattern I was going to use at first, because there's a few I love.  I thought of making six more Blackwood cardi's, or maybe a few new Idyllwild Tees.  Maybe a couple more Anna dresses (but how would that work with jeans and steel toes five days out of the week?).  Finally I settled on the Sew Over It Molly Top.  I had five of them already, so I figured I could just double up.  Then I ended up making a Molly Dress the week the challenge was starting, and then another Molly top the evening of the second last day.  I already have two more planned.  Molly is definitely proven to be my go to tried and true pattern. It's such a simple make and I can whip one up in a little over an hour from cutting out to hemming.  The fit is spot on with just an inch and a half added for length, so it's a no brainer for me.  It makes me feel great being able to finish something easily these days when sewing time is so limited and I love wearing them.  It's definitely my number one "TNT" pattern.

I've been on the fence about the Molly Dress since the City Break E-book came out to be honest.  I have definitely wanted to make one, but worried that it would look like a nightgown, or just too shapeless on my figure.  I have some gorgeous Ponte that I'd ordered from Stitchy Bee a while back that I wanted to make a dress with, but no way wanted to waste it if the dress was a disaster.  So I bought some fabric from the local Fabricland on my way home from work one day.  Unfortunately I misread the price and it ended up hella expensive, especially for a potential dud.  Ooops!  I decided to forge ahead with it though with the intention that if it was a nightmare I could chop off the bottom and have a really soft and cozy Molly top.  I LOVE the dress.  It gets all the heart eyes from me.  I have no clue what the fabric is - it's soft and feels like a cross between a really fine sweater knit and a brushed poly.

I documented my week on Instagram - most photos taken with my tripod and remote on my phone, and the weekday ones were taken at 5:30 in the morning, so photo quality is a bit dodgy, but hopefully you won't mind my less than glorious photography skills.  Here's how my week went:

Day One - the brand new Molly Dress

 Day Two - a Molly tee - this one is probably my least favourite Molly.  It's a fairly recent make, and it's ok, but there's very little drape to the organic cotton jersey and it turns out it's not as great a colour as I thought it was when I bought the fabric three years ago, but it's great for kicking around in.

Day Three - one of my early Molly's.  I think this was the second one I made last year.  Unfortunately I forgot to add any length and it's shrunk so it's on the verge of too short for me to wear comfortably.  But it has silver threads along the edges of the stripes which makes me ridiculously happy, so I still wear it more often than I should and then spend the day tugging it down.

Day Four - My first Molly.  Oh how I love this top!  It's so cozy and soft.  It's made from a sweater knit and it's only issue is that somehow a mad case of static cling has got it's clutches on it and no matter how I wash or dry it I can not get rid of the cling from hell.  I've tried everything I can think of so if you have any great solutions, please let me know!

Day Five - A recent Molly.  I totally meant to make a cardi with this fabric.  But then I felt like I was in the doldrums with my sewing and had nothing to wear, so it became a Molly instead.  I may or may not live in this top.

Day Six - this was my third Molly.  At first I thought this jersey from Minerva Crafts was way to drapey and that the top looked way too flowy, but it took mere moments of wearing it for it to become one of my favourites.  It's such a great top for work.  Not too heavy, and a great layering piece.  It gets a lot of wear!  (let's just ignore the wrinkles - it probably should have had a date with an iron before I took a photo in it.)

Day Seven - last but not least my newest Molly top.  This is a short sleeved version.  I thought I'd mix things up and make a v-neck on this and now I'm obsessing about a long sleeve v-neck Molly.  I could live in this top every day if it wasn't weird to do so.  

In retrospect, I suppose choosing the Molly Top wasn't the most challenging thing given I really do wear them all the time, especially during the work week.  It felt almost like cheating it was such an easy choice! As I mentioned I'm planning a Molly Dress with the Ponte from Stitchy Bee and I have a great monochromatic grey floral jersey that I just ordered on a black friday sale from The Fabric Snob that is pretty much screaming at me to become a v-neck long sleeve Molly, so clearly I'm not done with the pattern just yet!   

I have some other projects I'd love to tell you about in the near future, but not sure when I'll get the chance to be back to blogging, so who knows when it'll happen or if it'll happen.  I sometimes feel like so much time has past that there's not much point in writing about it anymore.  So I guess I'll just play it by ear and see you when I see you.  In the meantime, I hope this finds you all happy, healthy and enjoying life to it's fullest!

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