December!!!

Sorry for the crappy post. This is more like a brain dump than a proper post!

I'm trying to get ready for my trip to Mexico, but I have been sewing a ton in December. First, two Jalie 3352 dolman tops. The purple one is my favorite with the striped back. I used my new coverstitcher binding attachment. I'm not totally happy with how it gathered the fabric a little on the neck.

I really like this version too. The floral back is a transparent mesh for when I'm feeling saucy.

Penny has gained 10 pounds in the month we have had her. She's five months and 35 pounds. She is the sweetest dog ever. She still has giant feet compared to her body so that scares me a bit. Eep!

I had this border print nylon/lycra swim fabric. I think it was sort of an odd combination of prints.

I needed a sun shirt/ rash guard and used Jalie 2805 in a smaller size (I think I used size Q?) with the mock turtle neck. I cut it off so it's a bit short. I'm sure you'll pictures of it when I get back from Mexico.

I recently made two Jalie 3349 leotards. I LOVE this twist front. It's nice and high on the body and it looks so good! On my leotards, I fully lined the front. These are for the cousin.

Isn't the twist cool?

Yes, I know this is a random post. Look at how well my girls are producing!

I also made two Jalie 3134 swimsuits. I love them too!!! I especially love the back. This is my first time using this swimsuit pattern and I absolutely love the fit of it. I want to make one for myself.

I also sewed two Ottobre holiday dresses and one really cute Ottobre tunic. I probably won't get my Burda Challenge for December done. I'm a horroble leader, ladies. Yikes! Have fun with all your holiday plans and I'll show you lots and lots of pictures when I get back!!!

Burda Challenge November - 11-2015 #112

Here’s my November Burda and it’s on time too. Yes, I do rock. I decided to make the woven top with shoulder zipper detail. I made it out of wool flannel. Yes, I know wool against the skin, ewww. Except, I love that feeling. It’s the feeling of being warm. I’m constantly cold so wool is my friend.

 

I had to really, really, really lighten these so you can see any detail. First a word of warning, this top is hard to get on. Like pull, tug, pull, pull, pull, pull. I could have made the seam allowances smaller maybe but I think the main problem is the armholes. I think it would be much better if my fabric had even a hint of stretch. It doesn’t. I can’t wear a regular bra with it. I’m wearing a sports bra that kind of flattens my cheat. I think the armholes are also too low for such a fitted shirt. On this picture, it almost looks like the shoulder also also just a titch too wide.

 

It does fit well as long as I just stand around, look awesome, and don’t reach for things.  I’m exaggerating a bit. Not about the sports bra, mind you. I really did have to put on a sports bra. But I wore this for several hours this weekend and there were only a few things I struggled to do.

 

The back fit is nice. I even tried a swayback adjustment. I know, right? How many years did that take me? I took it in about a 1/2” along that CB seam and the fit is almost perfect. I did add my standard 1” about the bust (I always leave the armholes alone).

 

See how tight it gets? If I pull up from the shoulder and snug up the armhole, it’s much more comfortable.

 

And I have the perma-cowl below my neck. My neck thrusts forward a bit so this is probably a result of that. Most of the time, my tops don’t go up this high, and if they do, they are in a knit.

 

The darts end in the right spot, but you can see a little fold at the armpit/bust.

 

I was super excited about this pattern because of the interesting darts, simplicity, and pop of color at the neck. I’m disappointed that it’s too tight. I still like it, I’m just not sure how often I’ll be reaching for it. I’m worried I’ll pop an armpit seam at work.

 

I love the zipper/ribbon detail. Burda recommended 1” grosgrain ribbon. Mine is 7/8” I think thinner might work better with this area of the shirt. You can see on my pictures that the ribbon makes the neck area really stiff.

 

I hand sewed (yes! me!!) the hems and neck facing.

 

A little disappointing but it would rock in a stretch woven. With a bit of armhole fiddling. I’m working on an Ottobre dress I think you guys will like.

Has anyone else tried this pattern? I still think it has lots of possibilities. I loved the dress variation in the magazine.

Jalie 2563 - Sports Bra

Yes, I know these are not exercise pants. Focus on the sports bra. I did a really fast photo shoot while everyone was out walking the dog.

I love this pattern from Jalie. Not only does it have this comfortable, supportive sports bra, but it also has another sports bra and a pair of running shorts. I’m particularly excited about the shorts because they have a seamless crotch (why does this keep yelling, “crotchless panties” in my head when I proofread?). Instead of four seams meeting at one spot on your lady bits, there is a panel that runs up one leg, across your, ahem, bits, and down the other leg. I’m very interested to see how comfortable they are during a run. I’ll probably wait on those until summer though, since it’s about 30 degrees here.

 

Anyway, back to this bra. I made the main part out of a swim lycra and the straps and back out of a stretch mesh. The front is also lined with the same stretch mesh. To make it more compression-y, I took it in about a 1/2” on each side seam after it was made. I also made the bottom elastic about four inches smaller than recommended.

 

I love the cut of the back. This back isn’t quite as narrow as the Anne-Marie tank/dress.

 

I spared you my face in this one. After seeing my arms, you can only imagine. I wanted you to see that there is nothing popping out at any angle.

 

Fuzzy, but you get the idea. It covers all the stuff you want covered. Sometimes, in certain sports bras, I’m a bit exposed on the side. Not in this one, though.

 

I changed one thing in construction. They have you put the lining in the front and baste it to the main piece of fabric. Then you treat them as one and attach them to the strap. Instead, I sandwiched the seam allowance between the lining and main fabric.

 

I can see many, many, many more of these in my future. I ran six miles in it today, so it’s supportive enough for a run. This is also the pattern that Melissa uses for quite a few sports bras.

 

My November Burda Challenge is done! I’ll post that in a day or two (hopefully).

Meet Penny!!

So I've been wanting a dog FOREVER. Like YEARS. My last dog was lost in the divorce and he lived with the other side of the family. My husband is anti-hair and anti-mess. I finally convinced him to get a dog that is of the "doodle" persuasion because of the lack of shedding. I'm not sure how I feel about being the sort of woman that has a "designer breed," but I'm okay with it if it means both my husband and I will be happy.

So, meet Penny. She's a German Shepherd/Poodle mix, or Shepadoodle. She should be about 60-70 pounds when she is all done growing. She's about four months old and is the calmest puppy I've ever seen. We are currently working on her with the standard sit, down, come commands and she is picking themup quickly. She should be smart since she comes from smart parents and smart breeds. Her mom is a white AKC registered German Shepherd and her dad is an AKC registered dark brown Poodle. She is mostly dark brown with random white hairs on her back and tail.




She has giant feet and she is just the sweetest dog.




She wasn't quite sure about the "white stuff" when she got here, but she has adjusted well.




Between my morning running and her running around with the kids, she's a tired puppy at night. Literally.



You'll be seeing more of Penny because I'm super smitten with her. If you are my FB friend, you know I've been posting lots of pictures. Sorry (not sorry)!


I also have some sewing stuff to show you too. More Jalie and Ottobre!

Ottobre 05-2015 #20 Jazzy Look Dress

Okay, first off, who isn’t going to long a long-sleeved knit dress with all these details? I think this was going to be a win whether I tried hard or not.

 

But I do have to say, I am freaking loving my version of this dress!! Some of the detail of the topstitching is lost in the crazy print, but I’m okay with that.

 

The fit is pretty good on me. Some damn day, I’m going to have to break down and learn how to do a stupid swayback adjustment. This would have been a perfect pattern for it.

 

I added a little contrast fabric to the pockets.

 

 

The pockets on this may be my favorite part. I love them! I have to give credit to my
Janome CoverPro. It did an AMAZING job with the three thread coverstitch. In all this coverstitching, there was not one skipped stitch or broken thread. I used regular Coats and Clark in the bottom thread and serger thread in the top three threads. I’ll have to figure out what the perfect thread/tension/needle combination is, because you know, I’ve tried this before with crappy results.

Me looking all smug. It’s warm, comfortable, and awesome. Who doesn’t love black and white animal-ish print. And yes, I checked, this is the real way the fabric goes. I thought about turning it sideways for a more zebra look, but decided against it.

 

The inside looks just as nice as the outside with all this “press seams open and topstitch” jazz.

 

A few detail shots of the stitching. This is the hem.

 

Isn’t it amazing?? I am going to write down every setting so I can remember how to do this exactly. It may also have to do with the weight of this fabric. It’s a double knit, so it’s pretty firm.

 

This square neck is what really drew me to this pattern.

 

All this topstitching and not one skipped stitch or thread. I need to make this again with a solid print and contrast topstitching.

 

I really love this dress!!!