More knitting

I read this great post about Thanksgiving being a time for sewers to get back to their knitting, and I couldn't agree more.  Craft maniacs separated from their machines need a different outlet when traveling.  So here's my third sweater in my blue-green autumn trilogy.  The yarn has a really great story: I bought it (three balls of Rowan machine washable wool) at a yard sale for 75 cents!  At the time, I was worried that the seller was going to realize her ridiculous error and come running after me, at least for the alpaca (also 25 cents a skein, unbelieeeevable).  To give you some perspective, the buttons cost seven times that.  They're alternating gold and silver filigree balls.  Choosing the right buttons for a sweater is something I would really like to get better at.  I tend to go over the top (surprise, surprise) or, on rare occasion, too boring.

This Elizabeth Zimmermann "February sweater" from her almanac is a great pattern because it gives a beautiful result with minimal headaches.  I made one in cotton a few years ago.  It's for a little baby who will be arriving in early 2012 on the West Coast.

Two new sweaters

for him and her.  As a career teacher, I am in the process of recertifying (i.e. chipping away at 120 hours of professional development of varying quality and interest).  One of my goals (not the kind that I submit to my boss, of course...) is to spend as many of those 120 hours knitting as possible.  Thanks to a summer immersion institute and four days of conferences in October, I finished the only sweater I've begun since my daughter's birth 20 months ago.  And, while waiting on Webs to restock the wool for that sweater when I ran out, I knit another!  And then another, but that's a secret until a December baby shower for a friend.

Sweater One is a tomten in Plymouth Yarn Tweed, which has great flecks and body but is quite too itchy for my toddler.  Since it's by far the most expensive sweater I've ever knit for a child, this is a disappointment.  I am planning to line the neck area in bamboo jersey and see where that gets us.  I love this Elizabeth Zimmermann pattern nonetheless and the color looks amazing with my son's green eyes.



Sweater Two is a garter stitch cardigan from Knitting for Baby in Knitpicks' Swish Superwash (I think - I know that it wasn't intended for this project.  I had to grab the wool on short notice before a conference, and since I store all my yarn in my kids' bedroom, time is very limited there!).



Every time I make this pattern I get annoyed that the placket puts the buttonholes too far from the garment's edge.  The yarn is very drapey in garter stitch and has a bit too much stretch to it, but no one will be wimpering about itching!

Introducing Liloup

"You should sell your stuff!" is a comment that my indulgent friends make from time to time, and I have a number of retorts.  I already have a job; I am too busy; I won't make any real money.  These facts remain true...but I can't resist this challenge!  So what if I'm a harried mother of two toddlers and teacher of 110+ middle schoolers?  So what I already can't find time to go to the gym or eat vegetables or shave my legs?  Wouldn't I rather be sewing?

I would.

And so, feeling ambitious one sultry August day, I took note of a new boutique in my neighborhood (The Tiny Hanger) and, heart pounding, filled out the designer application.  Since getting accepted (i.e. allowed to sell my wares on consignment in exchange for a cut of the sale price), I've opened a shop on Etsy, figured out to how to buy a domain name (thanks Elizabeth!), ordered labels and tags, and sewed a bunch (though, to be honest, the sewing has taken a small fraction of the overall time spent thus far - and I hope that will change).

Here I am stopping by The Tiny Hanger to visit my dresses.  The rust and teal items (which you see above, too) are mine:

And here are the bodysuit-pants sets in flannel, all lined up:

For now, my "line" consists exclusively of linen tunics (which start as dresses and work their way up to blouses over time) and flannel or corduroy bodysuit & pants sets.  Stop by the Etsy shop and tell me what you think and what you'd like to see next!

Passport dress

The conclusion to my Lisette pattern trio is Simplicity 2209, known as the Passport dress.  The bodice is a linen/rayon blend with ricrac trim at the neck and waist, and the skirt is some Ikea cotton.  This was my second attempt at this dress (the first came out a bit dumpy and I haven't blogged it), so I knew that the waist needed to be several sizes bigger than the rest of the dress if it would fit me!  If you have a defined waist, this is a great pattern for you.  The rest of us, however, can make it work.  

You might be wondering about the bodice color (my husband is...), so let me explain that it was inspired by this photo in the Lisette Flickr group.  That seamstress added neck and waist trim, which inspired my ricrac-a-rama.  Ricrac is great stuff and I need to remember to use it more often.  Originally I had bought a different fabric for the skirt, a nubby mustard/brown cotton stripe.  Then I opened up the kids' closet a few days ago, noticed that Ikea heap peeking out, and realized I could do a lot better. This cotton from Ikea is fairly substantial, more so than a typical quilting cotton, so I feel it makes a respectable garment fabric.

Side note: I wore this dress to synagogue this morning and I got two compliments, both of which began with, "Did you make that dress?"  Is this a slight of my sewing skills?  Or a keen eye for something original?  Let's hope for the latter!

Ottobre tunic for Liora-loup

Behold the Jänönheinä  tunic (what's up with all those trémas/umlauts?) from Ottobre's autumn 4/2010 issue.  I made it in the 74 cm. size and it's ample even on my little butterball of a 16-month-old.  The fabric is leftover Lisette lawn from my blouse and gingham from JoAnn (why can't they sell 100% cotton gingham?).

Hopefully this will still fit come next 4th or 14th of July!

Shower curtain tunic

Continuing on my Lisette pattern streak (did you miss it?  I've made TWO things!), here's the Portfolio tunic (Simplicity 2245, size 6).  The fabric is a fabulous cotton twill with a fun story: my friend Dawn bought it as a shower curtain, changed her mind, and gifted this pink and orange happiness to lucky me!  This provided some useful pressure (entirely self-imposed, mind you) to actually bring this shower curtain into a new form.

I am curious what Lisette designer Liesl thinks of sewists' interpretation of this pattern, because when I checked the Flickr photo group I found a lot of icky muumuus that made their wearers look rather rotund.  And then of course, I forged ahead anyway and made a floral version myself.  By the way, checking Flickr groups (or Patternreview) is a good technique to get concrete ideas of how patterns look on normal people, not models, before you sew them yourself.  You can also see what a pattern yields in a variety of fabric prints and weights to make a more informed decision.

The tunic has some fun details that you don't usually find in a regular pattern:

1. Front yoke/princess seams that turn into pockets.  As a teacher, I feel that pockets are an essential part of all my clothes, so this is a very good thing.  Normally I would consider pockets on a tunic to be a real no-no (bulky, child-like), but I think these are clever and classy.

2. A little square piece below the neckline (perhaps this has a technical name?!).  Someone more creative could probably make a real fashion statement with this tidbit.

The one part that threw me for a loop was the cuffed sleeve, because I followed the directions for the long-sleeve view by accident.  I will forever be reminded of this error because my facings pop out a bit at the underarm as a result.  Now, do I have leftover fabric so that I could choose to redo the sleeves?  Yes.  Am I going to take the time to make this tunic perfect?  Of course not.

The dawn of lawn; or, voilà the voile

Sorry to make readers choose from two horrid titles, but there you go.  Simplicity 2211 is a Lisette pattern by Liesl Gibson of Oliver + S kids patterns (which you've seen on this blog here and here).  This is a doubly Lisette project because I used her fabric as well.  It's probably the nicest fabric I've ever bought at JoAnn - a cotton lawn that is lightweight, not see-through, hardly wrinkles, and is much better suited for tops than the quilting cottons I often choose.  It has a nice amount of give that makes it easy to fudge things as you sew.

Can you believe that I've actually sewn something blue for myself?  This is shocking.

I made this pattern in a size 6 and it fits great, though the arm bands cut into me as I pushed the stroller this morning.  The construction is straight-forward and wise, although I always find these exterior plackets counter-intuitive - as I do anytime that I'm asked to sew right side to wrong side.  Just goes against everything I learned back in Home Ec.  Overall, a very successful grown-up sewing project.

Mama's reward

Scrolling through my (paltry) blog posts from 2011 and 2010, I confirmed that I haven't sewed anything for myself in about two years.  Getting pregnant shifts one's creative energy as well as one's dress size.

However, now that school's out and daycare's still in (which is too glorious for words), I just sewed myself a nice, simple skirt from Echino linen-cotton fabric by Etsuko Furuya that I bought a year ago in Portsmouth.  

Purple + green = perfection

Simplicity 4236 was a bit of a squeeze in a size 6 (thus 1/4" side seams) but allowed me to get a skirt out of just one yard of this uber-pricey fabric.  As usual, a side zipper is a recipe for a bumpy disaster and as usual, I forgot to switch it for a back zipper.

Keeping with the Echino theme, I also fixed up a pair of hand-me-down toddler jeans for my son with some "flower bed" fabric in chartreuse.  A peppy cure for holes in knees and frayed cuffs.

chartreuse + red = also fantastic

What I Have To Show

The vast majority of this school year passed by without me taking a single stitch.  There was good reason for this, namely two kids and a job, but I am happy to share a few Finished Projects with you today.

A dress for baby Zoé in Bordeaux!  My closest and oldest French friend, Maya, had a little baby this spring.  I had two pairs of tights (teal and deep purple) already on hand, so I sewed a jumper-dress that could be worn with either pair.  Sewing for a French baby put a bit of pressure on me, and I have to admit that I am not ecstatic about this project's final look.  What I do like, though, is the color. Blue clothing for girls balances the omnipresent pink.  This lightweight cotton dress (Butterick 5017) has a chambray yoke and a skirt of Michael Miller 2-D Zoo.  I thought the back keyhole closure was a bit unimaginative, but it does the trick.

 Pants For Two Very Different Bums

BUM ONE: THE BIG ONE

My one year-old is rather pear-shaped, and on top of that, wears cloth diapers.  None of the lovely, zip-fly pants we received as hand-me-downs fit her.  Over April vacation, I had a little time to sew her a pair of purple velour pants.  I have yards and yards of this stuff left over, so brace yourselves to see more of it down the road.

Okay, who else loves red and purple together?  Just me?  Really?

Then I remembered that none of her pants match her crazy-patterned tops and sweaters, so I sewed a plain pair of pants with just a little oomph to them: blue lightweight denim, fuschia corduroy knee patches and cuffs.  Burda 9772 is amply sized, which is mostly perfect for this kid.  However, the pant width is excessive at the cuff, leading to some riding up.  I made an appliqué from some super-premium Japanese fabric, which I zigzagged to the back.

Corduroy cuffs keep pant legs down!

Echino appliqué

BUM TWO: THE LITTLE ONE
Having a toilet-trained child is glorious!  However, it does mean that our already-skinny kid cannot keep his pants on.  Therefore I sewed him a classy pair of narrow sailor pants in corduroy: Oliver + S Sailboat Pants.  I love the beautiful-ugly color of this fabric!  To bring the pants to full length, I added 3" above the side vents at the hem.

Look!  Buttons!

And not just any old buttons - elephants!