Monday, September 8, 2014

A load of Jalie Running Skirts

It’s coaching season again. I‘ve been working on running skirts for fall cross country running. We took this photo shoot soooper dooooper seriously.
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They are very color coordinated, these two.
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Silly girls.
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The only thing different on these models is that I extended the shorts to capri length and flared out the back on the girls’ skirts. I used the high waistband on all three pairs of running skirts. The black and blue solid fabric is Nike Dri-Fit fabric. It’s divine.
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See how the girls have a little bit of gathers in their skirts? They wanted more bling and fabric, they said.
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You can see it is much wider than my skirt. My skirt is the original unaltered version.
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The back.
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Here is a lightened picture so you can see the pocket. I used a gymnastic fabrics from JoAnn’s for the purple glitter and the orange/pink panels.
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Here’s how I changed the pattern. It’s only in the back. Argggg, that should say Center Back instead of Center Front.
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Here’s my version. See the “stains” on it? This is what happens when I try to get crafty and create my own textile. I have this glitter fabric paint, right?
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Wouldn’t it be cool if my front and back panels look like this?? Well, halfway though, the nozzle was plugged and it started throwing out gobs of glue and little glitter. So instead of this cool glitter shower below, I got drippy blogs that look like I was attacked by bacon grease.
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See? Attack of the bacon. Sigh.
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Arg. On the plus side, this Nike Dri-Fit is so comfortable and great to run in.. And luckily, it’s been sprinkling every time I wear this to practice, so people just think the spots are rain. Any ideas to hide this? Add other drops of paint to make it look intentional? This is always what happens when I try something like this.
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I think the best feature of these shorts is the pockets. See the “bacon grease” below? Arrrg.
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Up next? I have been working on a jacket. Wool. Red. Buttons. AWESOME!

Monday, August 25, 2014

August Burda Challenge - 08-2014 #103 Pieced Dress

Okay, I look short and really squatty compared to this model.
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I couldn’t be serious when I took these pictures. This dress is a woven with several pieces in the front that you can make different colors or leave the same. I wish I had gone with maybe one more print to make it a bit zanier. I was torn, though, because I wanted something that would easily rotate into my wardrobe.
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There are four pieces to the front bodice and five pieces for the front of the skirt. 
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It fits really well. And just an FYI, I put no seam allowance on for the hem and I cut off four inches when I hemmed it. I’m 5’5”, so I’m not that short. This dress would have been at mid-calf!
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Here’s the front flat.
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I lightened the back and drew in the darts so you could actually see them.
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The inside is lined with a JoAnn’s polyester of black flowers on a white background. I love fun linings.
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I used the same invisible zipper installation that I always do.
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Here’s the finish at the CB.
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See? I should have added some more color. Although the second one looks kind of like a bib. You get the idea though.
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Fun dress to sew though. I may wear it tomorrow. I love the color blocking, but I also love that it’s so neutral. Maybe a belt would spice it up a bit but still let it be neutral. 

Saturday, August 23, 2014

Burda 07-2014 #118 with Jalie 3352

Shhhhhhhh, this is my July Burda Challenge! I actually did it in July, then didn’t have time to take pictures, and now it’s almost September. Yeesh. Oh well, I’ve been busy. I don’t feel that bad. My August Burda might actually be late though. I’ve been working on it, but there are many pieces. Dammit. Anyhoo, here’s this July Burda skirt and a Jalie top to go with it. I just love their dolman pattern. This time I made it with a cowl. 

Skirt first. Here’s the skirt. It’s very straight forward and easy because it’s a one-piece, elastic-waisted knit skirt. How hard is that? I’m making something challenging for my August Burda because I feel pretty lame about the difficulty level on my work lately. It’s been mostly easy-to-make knits. Although, I do live in those clothes, so I don’t feel that bad.
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Here’s both pieces together. For the skirt, I used a remnant left over from this dress.
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Here you can see the gathers and the ties. I worry with this fabric that it might be too suggestive of what may lie underneath, if you get my drift. However, I think it’s okay if you don’t stare at it too long. Stop looking. Really. Stop.
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Here it is with the Jalie dolman top. I added the sleeves in black and a cowl neck to it for fall. I love the high-low hem.
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A looooong cowl neck. Actually, that’s not the correct term is it? This is just a loooong turtleneck.
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Really long. I’ve made this top multiple times and really like the fit.
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I think this top works well for this skirt since the skirt is pretty snug. Anyway, love the slim line to the back of this dolman top. I love this outfit. Cute, easy, and comfortable for work. 
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This is what I’m currently working on. My colors are more subdued, but not all the same either. I’m excited to get it done!
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Friday, August 15, 2014

Jalie 3355 Sweatshirt + Merino Wool

I told you guys I’ve ben sewing! Apparently, I only sew kid stuff and Jalie patterns though. Work is about to start back up though, so I’ve really been thinking about work clothes again.

Anyway, here’s a merino wool sweatshirt made out of Jalie 3355. It’s cozy warm and she loves it. This is the size 8 and it seems to be about perfect. The sleeves are a tiny bit long, but that gives her room to grow.
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She’s wearing these Nike Dri-Fit pants on the bottom, so she’s really warm head to toe.
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I used a Cheer iron-on sparkly embellishment. She loves it. The only thing I can help you with on the Jalie pattern is the cuffs. If you are using a non-ribbing for the cuffs, make sure you cut them a little wider. These are about 1 cm wider because they don’t stretch as much as ribbing.
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Here’s the inside. I always reinforce the underarm seams with both a serger stitch and a straight stitch, just to be sure.
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I made view B. I need to make a couple for myself out of this fabric too.
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This is the fabric. It’s Merino Wool Polartec and I just put some on Etsy for you people!
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Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Jalie 3241 - Another Leotard for the Cousin

The girls have a cousin that’s in gymnastics. I’ve been making her leotards for a while now and she’s being growing out of them. This is the latest one. This is not her. This is my daughter (sorry if that wasn't clear before!). She is build much more like a gymnast in that she is muscular. The twins are more long and lanky. If I was making this for the twins, I would make it a size smaller and add a couple inches to the torso. It looks fine from the front, but the back pictures will show you why this is needed.
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This one loves to model, can you tell?
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This one doesn’t look so bad for the torso length, but that is because she is arching back a little. You can see that the bottom portion is already riding up a bit.
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This x-back is my favorite part of this suit. Here you can see that it needs to be smaller around, but longer in length. The cousin loves these crazy patterns and helped pick out the fabric. A girl after my own heart!
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Here’s the pattern again. I need to make the other version too, but I like the longer bottoms that look like shorts. I cold easily add some length to them the middle pattern. I think it would look cute with the vertical stripe going down the leg.
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Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Yummy Merino Wool! Again!

I found more of this fabric. Many of you guys wanted the brown color and I got some more!!!! I have the same two colors as last time so I’m using the same post and pictures. You’ll probably remember it from earlier this year in January. This stuff sold out in less than 24 hours. You fabric-hoarders, you.

 

This is from the January post:

I put that fabric on Etsy. I have that Merino Wool (from the Jalie tunic) in two colors. I love the dark brown and the soft green colors.

This is Wool Plaited Polartec Powderdry. It’s a two-faced fabric (do I need to make the joke again?). One face is 100% merino wool and the back face is 100% hi-wick antimicrobial polyester. This fabric is designed to be used in athletic, sports, and outdoor wear. It is 60" wide. There is no visible shrinkage when washed in warm water and dried in a warm dryer. There is 40% stretch across the grain and 30% stretch lengthwise.

I am selling it on Etsy in 2-yard increments. If you want more or less, I can do that too. :) Isn’t it lush?

Heathered Brown
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Heathered Soft Green on Etsy
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