SuperEggplant

I made another dress from the Machiko Kayaki book! I suspected the dress would be super billowy, and I was right. When I first put it on, it looked like I was an escapee from a medical facility. I chopped off several inches from both sides, and that seemed to help a bit.

I used seersucker I ordered online from, I can’t remember, maybe Denver Fabrics? Or Fabric.com? I specifically looked for 100% seersucker because I thought that might be a bit more cool/breathable than a cotton-poly blend. When the fabric arrived, I saw that it had a thin silver thread running down each stripe that was not visible in the online photo. I was not deterred, but people, I swear that nearly invisible thread is scratchy! I washed the dress and wore it, and it felt all prickly against my neck and shoulders. I do tend to be kind of sensitive to stuff touching my skin (if one hair falls down my shirt I can feel it, and I have to search and remove the hair), but I am not sure what the deal is with the seersucker.

I made a couple of summer tops! These are easy to make and use only a yard of fabric, so it is definitely a win-win situation. The dot fabric was sent by Yoshimi when we did a little swap last year. It has a little bit of stretch to it and is very Japanese-y, I think. The pattern is a mish-mash of various patterns I have. I wanted French sleeves and an easy pullover design. The neck kind of gaped and hung open in an odd manner, so I put in a little tuck in front, and now it is fine.

I revised the pattern I used for the dots to address the gaping neck issue, and I think it fits just right now. Last fall when we went to Japan, I went to the nani iro mothership in Osaka. It was amazing, but I could not take any photos because it is NOT ALLOWED, plus the clerk gal was a little scary. Anyway, I did not buy much fabric, just this piece and another in the same motif but in a hot pink. I LOVE THIS FABRIC. I got one meter of each. Unfortunately, the fabric was a smidge too narrow to fully cooperate with the pattern, so I had to get creative (see the bottom of the shirt. One bonus was I didn’t have to hem!). I haven’t decided whether I should make this same shirt in the hot pink or if I should find something else to make. What do you think?

Another day, another raglan! Actually, I haven’t quite perfected the whole raglan t pattern, but I do like raglans. This fabric is another matter. It is Hacci sweater knit that I got from Girl Charlee, which has an outstanding selection of knit fabrics. I liked that the stripe was vertical, and I was curious about what the heck this Hacci knit stuff was. It has a very open weave (it’s kind of see-through) and some heft to it. This particular striped fabric doesn’t feel like there is any cotton in it. I think the shirt will be great for in-between weather and also as sort of an over layer over other t-shirts, but it isn’t quite as practical as I would like (apparently I like utilitarian clothing). Also, doesn’t it totally remind you of those popcorn boxes/bags? I don’t know if that is a good thing or a bad thing …

Pardon the cheesy pose, please. Well, summer is over, and we are heading into the colder months! I much prefer summer clothing to winter clothing. I have issues with being cold, and it never seems like there are enough layers for me. I also like to be comfortable and practical (wash & wear), and for me, comfortable seems to equate with frumpy. Another weird thing is that my neck is always cold in the winter, so I end up wearing turtlenecks on a daily basis. I GET TIRED of wearing turtlenecks every day. I do the scarf thing, but sometimes that doesn’t work so well. But this has nothing to do with the sweatshirty thing I made, does it?

I got this super soft, double-layered knit fabric from the Fabric Depot outdoor sale a couple of years ago. As you can see, it is striped on one side and dotted on the other. They had this color and this kind of weird purple. I wish they had had more! I decided to make a sweatshirt, but I thought I’d try to make it kind of loose-ish, which seems to be the trend these days. I adapted this pattern from Tamanegi-Kobo by bringing up the armholes quite a bit, making the arms full length, and bringing in the neckline. I still have some mixed feelings about how this came out. The wide band at the bottom didn’t come out exactly as I had envisioned, though I didn’t really have a vision to begin with (you know what I mean). The neckline is still way too wide for my taste. Cold neck! Cold neck! I might take it in a little bit and sew a little tuck in there. Other than that, though, it is super comfy, and I will be wearing it a lot this winter (with lots of layers underneath).

The weather forecast called for one final hot week, so I whipped up a summer shift one afternoon. I had this seersuckerish fabric in my stash, and I had been thinking it’d be nice to have just a simple shift, not too snug and not too humongous. I used an extremely technical approach wherein I placed different pattern pieces sporting various elements I desired on top of the fabric. In this case I wanted French seams (super easy! No set-in sleeves!) and a basic dress.

I was going to make bias tape, but then I remembered I had some readymade bias tape that came WITH ADHESIVE on it, so you just stick it on! I like the contrast it provides in the neckline and armholes. Okay, so I started putting this together and quickly realized it was going to be too fitted. I contemplated starting over, but I had already completed the neckline and didn’t want to waste it, so I just chopped off the top part and added a new piece for the bottom! Easy peasy! And I didn’t even try to match up the plaid because, well, I am lazy, and I didn’t care.

It’s very comfortable and came out pretty much as I had hoped, plus I wore it on a 90+-degree day and felt fine. I have also come to realize that I am a lazy and impatient seamstress who needs immediate gratification. So, you won’t be finding many tailored outfits around here!

Oh, it’s not a knit! I’ve been hoarding this Liberty of London fabric for several years. Peter got it for me from the mothership in London, and I stashed it away because I was afraid I would screw it up somehow. I decided it was time to break out and take a chance. I finally have a button-down shirt pattern I like, so I made a short-sleeve version of it. Liberty lawn is so lightweight and yet buttery soft. It is a treat to wear! I’d like to make some different collar versions of this shirt pattern, but that will require me to use my brain, and it is limited in capacity, so it might take me a while. In the meantime, I will be sewing some more knits.

MORE KNITS, people! I also got this fabric from Girl Charlee. It is supposed to be all cotton, and perhaps it is. It is quite lightweight and super drapey. Now, I generally go for a pretty traditional style of t-shirt, but I thought I’d go out on a limb and try to whip up one of the drapey, boxy t-shirts that the younguns seem to be wearing these days. I cobbled together a pattern using this Tamanegi Kobo pattern. I brought the armholes up a bit and made French sleeves, and I lengthened it a bit because I was not going to use the band. The armholes are still pretty gaping, but I don’t really care. The shirt is very comfy and came out better than I thought! If people don’t like being able to see my bra if I lift up my arms, they can look away!

I made this t-shirt dress using the same fabric. I adapted the raglan t-shirt pattern that has been so popular in my sewing room, har har. When I first made it Peter thought it was too long and suggested I shorten it by “several inches.” I followed his advice, and now I think it is a bit on the short side. It is also somewhat clingy. In other words, it is a bit sluttier than I prefer, but I guess it isn’t SUPER slutty.