Holiday ramble

Happy holidays!

Busy much? I love this time of year, so much to do, family, services, and general good will. Even grocery shopping is more enjoyable 🙂

After my marathon costume making for the Christmas pageant, I’m slowly getting back in the mood to so some sewing and posting (yes, Christmas gifts included stash-making dollars from my dear children). Meanwhile, random pics from the last couple weeks…

From the Christmas Pageant – the children were adorable and so excited. Thirty children took part, including a choir of little angels. Beautiful.

A wonky gift to Preston (everyone loved it)! I ordered the ants about a week before Christmas, and they arrived on Christmas Eve, just in time. I searched online everywhere for this ant farm, and I found it at Barnes and Noble.

My tree service guys just arrived, after a full week of rain delays. They are removing all the ancient shrubs from the front of the house, and they’re giving the tangerine tree the haircut of its lifetime. Trimming, wind-proofing, and balancing. The tree is beautiful and very old. I don’t want to lose it to a hurricane.

Yesterday was an online marathon, as I took full advantage of holiday discounts on 4 Indie patterns that have been calling my name.

Sew Over It Pussy Bow Blouse

Style Arc Cameron dress

Style Arch Armidale dress

Helen’s Closet York Pinafore

I’ve even ordered fabric, and the first delivery is tomorrow. Now I’m excited!!

Hoping everyone is finding joy and peace in this beautiful time of year,

Coco

More Carolyn PJs…

Straight from bed into my new Closet Case Carolyn Pajamas! That sounds backward, but I don’t actually sleep in my PJs.

I do love to wear them on rainy days (that cozy factor) and in the evening after my shower.

These have been in the sewing loft for over a week, pending photos. I do this all the time and I need to get them into my closet 🙂

This is my second pair of these super comfortable and cute PJs (first version here). Making them – layout, cutting, construction – is a rather big project, but it’s also fun because of all the details.

 

Sewing notes:

• I sewed a straight size 8, View B, which has the cuffs on sleeves and pant legs.
• This wonderfully cool and wrinkle-free fabric is chocolate/off-white cotton/lycra poplin shirting from Fabric Mart’s NY Designer category.  I looked at it for days before it went on sale for 60% off – I was really fortunate to get it.
• Once again I applied bias edging details instead of piping. This time I used double-fold quilt binding, pressed open and cut to 2″ wide. It’s poly/cotton (no shrinking to speak of), and is a nice weight for an edging. It’s also available in a myriad of colors.

I like the fit of the pants so much that I’m planning a couple pairs to wear with a sleep shirt.

Something else got moved out of the loft this morning as well. This dress was on Emile for 4 weeks as part of the staging when the house was on the market!

It’s Simplicity 8640 (purchased on Etsy), in Traveling Bananas, a cotton/rayon/linen blend from Fabric Mart’s Hawaiian Designer.

Parting shot – my resident doves. I know they had a baby earlier this spring, because the three of them spent hours sitting together on the fence and ground-feeding once the juvenile was out of the nest. I had to take this photo from inside the house because they startle so easily. Beautiful.

Bye for now – Coco

Closet Case Carolyn Pajamas

Why did I wait so long to make these beautifully designed and drafted pajamas from Closet Case Patterns?

There is so much to love with the pattern. I think what I like best is all the attention to the balance and finish of each piece.

Sewing notes:

• I sewed view B in size 8 (I’m 5′ 6.5″, bust 33.5″, waist 29″, hips 36″ at widest part across my upper thigh). The pattern site is kind enough to note that their model is 5’8″ and wearing a size 12. I wish more designers would give this information.
• Fabric: Black/White Cotton/Lycra Poplin Shirting – Famous Dress Designer from Fabric Mart. Mystery, does anyone know the identity of the famous dress designer?
• Since I used the cuff on the sleeve and pants, I constructed the top and bottom, except for the cuff, and then determined the length and fit for each.  I do recommend this – it would be a lot to ask of a pattern to simply fit everyone everywhere.
• I like the appearance of piping, but not the fussiness of sewing it! I used 2″ wide bias strips instead, remnants from my recent Zadie jumpsuit. I love the color contrast against the black and white print. Fun stuff 🙂
• Only change – I drafted a back neckline facing, rather than use the pattern approach. The facing enables easy and clean attachment of the collar, and it’s a simple addition.

More happiness:

I want more, and I’m looking for another large print in a similar substrate.

Great project, fantastic pattern. Ciao! Coco

After the fall…the way back

Doing  better after falling a couple weeks ago! And showing the ‘good’ side of my face. The other side and the back of my left hand are still bandaged. But…it takes time.

A small post, but just look at that cute Charlie Caftan. I was totally inspired by Sue at ‘A Colourful Canvas’. Her pink plaid Charlie, posted way back in June, just gripped my heart… I spent hours online looking for a pink plaid fabric.

And I found it at Fabric Mart, mine is a cotton plaid jacquard shirting. Serendipitous. This pic is from ages ago, because I never did take a full set of pics of this version of the Charlie Caftan. My bad, but I have so many versions now.  I just love the pattern.

A link here…

I’m feeling better, and I’ve started sewing again. I’m working on a long cardigan, based on McCalls 6461. On Emile…

Fabric: Fresh Produce Sea Life Charcoal Black Cotton Jersey Knit  from Girl Charlee

And a pic of my lovely view, calm and peaceful, from the porch.

Bye for now – Coco

A little sleeve magic…

Summer sewing, and my closet has multiples of two great dresses: the Closet Case Charlie Caftan and the Serendipity Studio Diane Kimono Dress. Both are fun to sew, easy to wear, and comfortable in summer heat.

And, as it happens, they both have short kimono sleeves, very similar to a cap sleeve.

About 10 days ago, I got to thinking about those sleeves. I admit to being conscious of the inflammation on my upper arms, and many days I just go for a top or dress with a longer sleeve. Just a few more inches of coverage might raise my confidence level…

The Diane dress was easy to modify – I just extended the sleeve by 4.25″ (as far I could take the sleeve and still cut it out on folded 44″ wide fabric – very scientific). It not only worked, it worked great! I love this length.

Fabric: Audrey Medallion Calico, JoAnns.

 

Changing the Charlie Caftan was also simple. I had changed the pitch on my draft of the sleeve way back when I made my first Charlie. So I just extended it as well, and, as before, used self-fabric bias binding to finish the edge.

 

Fabric: Packed Poppies by Tim Coffey, JoAnns.

And I’m off to the drug store wearing poppies! Bye for now – Coco

Charlie Caftan in African Wax Batik Print

My favorite Charlie Caftan!

With only one color overlay, this batik from Fabric Wholesale Direct is the perfect weight for a dress. And the deep purple is so calm, it was a pleasure to sew.

Sewing notes: I’ve continued to use the pattern changes and construction approach that I used with my muslin of the Charlie Caftan. My original post has lots of info on these (here).

• The front panel is raised about 5/8″, simply because I don’t enjoy seams that sit right on my waist.
• I applied the front panel to the bodice, rather than insert it per the pattern instructions.
• And I reduced width of the gathers under the panel by about 2″.

• I definitely prefer the dress, short or long, with the ties.
• My ties are about 40″ long, 1 1/2″ wide, double-folded, and top-stitched along the edge.

• I didn’t draft my pattern with the sleeve hem allowance. All of my sleeves are finished with self-fabric bias binding.
• And I topstitched the in-seam pockets to the front of the skirt. No waving pockets!

I’m really hooked on this pattern. It’s so easy to wear, no hooks, buttons, or zipper, and not at all confining. Plus, it looks different every time I make it, because the prints are so different. So….yes, more planned.

Parting shot:

It’s San Diego Comic Con time, so I’m in Ft. Myers, kitty-sitting for Ashley and Darrin. In addition to their three adult kitties, they’re fostering three 5-week-old little boys for Animal Services (I’m sure they’ll adopt them). They look so big in this pic, but they’re really tiny! And they have to stay in their own room, no fraternizing, for another week or so, until they get their final boosters and have their boy-surgeries. Cute things…

Bye for now – Coco

 

Charlie Caftan – the long and short of it…

 

I can tell it’s going to be a Charlie Caftan summer around here!

After doing my muslin and working out a few kinks, I was really looking forward to making this in more views and fabrics. A refresher on the pattern:

And my changes to the drafting of the sleeve (more detail on my first post, here):

I love the maxi version!

My fabric is a Moda Fabrics quilting cotton (gifted, thank you :-). Quilting cotton is not among the recommended fabrics, but it works beautifully with the pattern.

There’s plenty of drape in the hand of the fabric, even with the additional gathering using the back ties.

My next version is View B – the mini dress – with the ties added:

This fabric, also a gift, is a Hawaiian print cotton from Trans-Pacific Textiles. The stripe actually runs vertically on the yardage, but I cut out the dress across the grain. I think the front gathers would mess with the balance of a vertical stripe.

Interesting fabric! the color is very saturated, much more than I usually experience on a cotton print. I wondered if all that color would run in the laundry, but it washed up beautifully. This is the inside, with a view of the front panel interfacing and some of the finish details:

I really like the colors and print – the vibrant blues are so pretty.

Just a few sewing notes:

• My ties are about 40″ long. I didn’t keep the pattern for the ties or use the instructions for making them. I cut mine at 2″ wide, double folded to the middle, and topstitched. I don’t like trying to turn a long skinny tie with a pin or tool!
• No side vents on the maxi, just because they usually bug me 🙂 It has plenty of width at the bottom for comfortable walking and so on.
• I raised the front panel by 1/2″ on the short version, because it was right at my waist and somehow threw off the balance of the dress. I’m going to raise it another 1/4″ on my next one. Just on View B – I like where it falls on the maxi.

Back to the maxi – I’m crazy about it…

These were so much fun to sew that I’m sorry they’re done. Guess I’ll have to make some more.

Ciao! coco