Purl and Seam

automne – FO 23/2012

September 28, 2012

So I have preparation for my final exam to do.

And the kids have brought home back-to-school-lurgy so I’ve been feeling quite a bit under par this week.

So, of course, I’ve been making a dress for Button.

And not just any old dress…no! A forest themed dress for FSC Friday!

When school told us that today the children could go dressed in green instead of uniform, or in something forest themed, I first planned to do a quick dress out of cord to represent the tree with a few felt leaves tacked to it!

These leaves are all properly appliquéd onto the dress…by hand! Thanks to the lovely Liz for letting me raid her felt stash!

I must be mad. I swear I need to learn to leave well alone. But this has gone from being a one off costume to a little dress she can wear all winter. And a self drafted one to boot.

Because you know that the leaves go round to the back of the dress too.

Yep…I did…I’m crazy! Even more so when you consider that that is a hand picked zip.

It was so worth it though to see her face light up as she saw it coming together, for the ecstatic thank yous, and the bear hug and face full of kisses she bestowed.

I know she won’t always want Mummy’s handmades, so for now I’m happy to pull crazy sewing out of the hat now and again. Even if I should be studying. 😉

Edit…

I forget the credit for the squirrel appliqué ..I do apologise.

I sourced this from Wee Folk Art and you can download it here.

Brockholes – FO 22/2012

September 24, 2012

This sweater has been knitted forever and has been languishing in a drawer waiting for colder weather…which has arrived with a vengeance in the last couple of weeks. Sunday was the first opportunity I had to get a photo of it. And they are not glamorous in any way shape or form, but at least you can see it earning it’s keep.

You’ll remember the yarn from the ill-fated Fairhope cardigan I made at the end of last year and promptly ~~unravelled~~ got Ma to unravel.

The pattern is Placed Cable Aran from Interweave Knits:

You don’t need to be particularly eagle eyed to notice that my version is slightly different from the original pattern.

Yep…instead of cabling both front and back to create the circular cable, I just cabled front to achieve this effect.

And whilst this isn’t the most stylish sweater in the world, nor has the yarn taken kindly to being frogged and re-knitted…this is a spectacularly comfortable and cosy sweater that is perfect for a Sunday afternoon walk around your local nature reserve.

Button wore a fabulously inappropriate outfit, having spent the previous couple of hours on a barge at a friend’s party. She just threw on her wellies and off she went!

The Boy was more suitably attired for scrambling about:

Yep…a giant carved acorn with a happy small boy.

Brockholes is a fantastic afternoon out with small people. It’s a great walk:

There are woods in which to hunt Gruffalo:

How can one so small be so fearless?

And there’s a play area that could entertain for hours:

Bumblebee wellies!

Dinosaur wellies!

I can’t wait to take this sweater back to Brockholes for another visit. The kids are keen to go too!

Puerperium cardigan and a hat – FO 20 &21/2012

September 11, 2012

Before you get overly excited I have to tell you that I’m not knitting for another little Stitch! I wish! No, it’s for Alice-who-isn’t-a-cat! She’s having a baby! In February. It’s going to be either a boy or a girl. Who knew? 😉

Obviously I have to knit for Squishy and where better place to start than with the lovely Puerperium Cardigan by Kelly Brooker which is available as a free download on Ravelry. Thank you Kelly for this adorable pattern.

Such a simple little cardigan to construct. It’s knitted all in one piece from the top down with the sleeves knitted on dpns, so no sewing up. Hurrah!

The asymmetrical closing adds a touch of flair to an otherwise simple style, and I’m thinking, having never done the newborn bit, that this will be easy to get on and off Squishy in those precious early days.

The yarn is Debbie Bliss ecobaby in colour 14020, a lovely soft gender neutral pale sage green. It’s a little splitty to knit with but so soft you forgive it. It will be gentle on newborn skin so I can suck up a little bit of temperament in the knitting. I used two balls bought from Knitting Heaven in Leyland and I got the cardigan and hat from two balls and a smidge to spare.

The hat is the Simple Baby Hat by Alison Williams, which again is a free download from Ravelry. I knitted this in an evening. I sang Alison’s praises. And this little hat has several sizes so I may make one each for my two. They won’t take very long.

I suspect there will be more knitting for Squishy over the coming months. Ma is working on a blanket too. I’ll share, of course.

The skinny jeans and Bowland top – FO 19/2012

September 9, 2012

Finally I’ve finished the jeans and I wore them out today with a new top. Both of these garments still need some tweaking.

Let’s start with the jeans. I wore these all day today and they are just so comfortable its ridiculous. I’m not used to comfortable jeans so this was a revelation.

I’ve also never had a pair of jeans before that I could wear without a belt. I didn’t wear a belt with these. They stayed put. This is also pretty flipping amazing.

Most amazingly is that I made these jeans. They are not perfect but they are wearable and I know what I need to do for the next time:

I need to add some length to the legs. These are wearable but I’d like a bit more length for sure.
I need to bring the pockets in more towards the middle. They aren’t necessarily placed in the most flattering position at the moment, but some of that is down to the fact that I needed to size them down after I’d top-stitched the pockets so I couldn’t move them.
I also need to take a bit more out under the butt. This is because I’ve lost weight from the original alterations. I’m not complaining!
The next pair will be slightly less skinny. This is just a matter of evolving taste. I’ve always worn skinny jeans but I think I’d like them a bit less so. More like classic Gap jeans.
I need to redraft the pattern because the grain line sure ain’t straight on these. I have twisty side seams. But then Levi do that and call it a design feature. So that’s what I’m calling it!
I need to use heavier denim. These are too lightweight for my taste and have too much stretch.

But… I. Made. Jeans.

And even with all these flaws they are still more comfortable and better fitting than any pair of jeans I’ve ever bought. I was freaking about the creasing in the legs until I realised that every pair of skinny jeans I saw had the same creases. Nature of the beast, I suppose.

Now to the top. This is made from Vogue 9771

V9771

Again, there are flaws.

I know there are drag lines across the bust…I did do an FBA on this pattern, I just need to make it a larger one. And, when I tried the toile there weren’t these lines, but the toile fabric was heavier.

And I know the bust darts are waaaaaaaaay too high…goodness knows how this happened because they surely weren’t doing that on the toile.

And the neckline is higher in real life than on the illustration…but in every version of this I’ve seen made up by someone else, this has been commented on. And for me it works. It keeps the top modest when I’m picking up children or bending down to them. Which is essential for me and something I struggle with in RTW.

But, despite these flaws…this top is really comfortable and I have had several compliments on it today. Which just goes to show that us seamstresses are overly critical of our work.

This doesn’t mean that I won’t be making the necessary alterations to both these patterns before I make them again, but is just a little reminder to us all to be a little kinder to ourselves and our abilities.

Scarecrow festival

September 9, 2012

Every September one our local villages, Charnock Richard, holds a scarecrow festival. Every year that the children have been home it has been bucketing down with rain for the festival weekend. This weekend the weather has been glorious, so we finally got the opportunity to take the children to see the scarecrows.

Some people themed their scarecrows around children’s characters:

Postman Pat

Red Riding Hood

Denis the Menace and Gnasher

Tintin and Snowy

Oscar the Grouch

Our friends from Toy Story

We also saw some favourite films:

The Great Escape

Superman

War Horse

Local Olympian Bradley Wiggins even made an appearance:We had a lovely day, capped off at the end by the opportunity to sit in a real fire engine:

Sunday afternoons don’t get much better than that!

Schoolgirl

September 4, 2012

Today Button started school.

She has been bursting at the seams with excitement about this for months…as have I.

She’s so ready for this. She’s itching to learn and is convinced, in the way only a 4 year old can be, that she is a Very Big Girl. Which is why I’m ready for it too. With the best will in the world, I am not enough excitement for her.

I am her port in a storm.

I am her comfort when she is hurt or scared.

I am the boundary to be pushed.

I am the provider of cookies and milk and movies.

And huggles and kisses and stories and songs (although Daddy is much better at those than I).

And a million other good things.

But I am not enough.

And that, dear reader, is exactly how it should be at this point in her life.

And so today, she took the first steps to independence and education.

I although I swore I wouldn’t, I did shed a tear (or two…).

Not because I’m sad to be losing my baby to the world (because I’ll always be here for her).

Or that she isn’t a baby any more (although that really does suck…I’m not at all sure how that happened).

No, today I shed a tear of pride at the little girl, who is physically one of the smaller children in the class (look at those double rolled sleeves!) but who has the biggest heart I’ve ever encountered. Who, after chiding me to ensure she “didn’t miss her class”, and shucking her coat at high speed, had, within a further 30 seconds, approached a rather worried looking little girl and asked her name.

Having introduced herself, she promptly declared “Lets be friends. Lets go and play”.

I think she’s going to do just fine in the big wide world. Don’t you?

Devon

September 1, 2012

Last weekend was a Bank Holiday in England. Generally on Bank Holidays we stay at home because the traffic is notoriously dreadful. But we decided to brave the motorways and head off to Devon. For those who don’t know the geography, Devon is about 260 miles south of us.

Let’s just say the traffic lived up to all expectations.

Let’s also say it was worth it.

As you know we spent the weekend with Alice-who-isn’t-a-cat and her beau, who have recently moved into a fabulous rented cottage, which is about 15 minutes drive from the beach at Exmouth.

So, we did what any sensible family would do and, along with Alice’s brother, sister-in-law, and niece, we went to the beach.

This being an English Bank Holiday, of course it was raining.

But there is no point having waterproof coats and not using them.

Button felt the coat was an unnecessary encumbrance!

We prevailed!

We were less lucky with the battle of the shoes!

But you need to take your shoes off so you can paddle! Silly Mummy!

Even if the sea is a bit cold…and a bit scary because its the first time you’ve been this close to it:

Although obviously, when you’re a brave little chap, it doesn’t take you long to get into the swing of it:

And when you’ve had enough of the sea…there are still puddles to splash about in:

And ice cream to eat:

But then, it being England, the weather is a moveable feast, and the following day it was glorious.

So we hit the beach again. This time without the waterproofs!

Eat your heart out Daniel Craig!

We boogie boarded:

Built a sandcastle:

Became a mermaid:

And snuggled together for warmth (convincing Daddy that we really should get a new doggy soon!)

We had The Best Time.

Heskin trousers – FO 18/2012

August 8, 2012

As these trousers are as black as coal, and Lancashire is historically a mining community as well as a textile one, it’s appropriate that these trousers are named for a local pit. As I once worked at Heskin Hall…it’s the obvious choice.

So, here are the Heskin trousers:

They are the same pattern as the Almost Perfect Trousers but I narrowed the leg a smidge and like them even more for that.

M5239

In fact…I think I’ve now nailed this pattern! I don’t think I’m going to get a better fit than this. Having looked at some of the high end RTW out there, I’d go so far as to say that mine hold their own.

These are stretch lightweight wool and just so comfortable.

And although they are just the simplest pair of black trousers ever made, I love them. They are a really great wardrobe basic. And they make me happy!

The small print:

Pattern: McCalls 5239 – £0 as pattern previously used.

Fabric: Wool/lycra mix from Washable Fabric on Preston market.

Notions: Thread, zip and hook fastener from stash. £0.

Total cost: £10

PS – The top is last years Monsoon. I had to take it in by 4″ because I’ve lost weight since I bought it.

I’m not complaining! 🙂

Where the wild things are

August 7, 2012

Grubbing with sticks

Clambering in the hedge

So now you know!

Vintage cheer

August 7, 2012

Last week I was feeling really rather miserable as I’d received my results back for my final paper for the English module of my degree and, quite frankly, I’d blown it. My score for this paper was 36% lower than my worst score for the rest of the module. To say I was disappointed with both the score and myself would be a bit of an understatement!

Thankfully the postman brought me a parcel from the very talented and clever Kristin. She too has been clearing out her sewing room and had a number of lovely patterns to share.

I was lucky enough to receive the two larger sized patterns, which means less grading/altering for me (cue cheer from the crowd) and they are absolutely beautiful.

First up is a lovely Simplicity Slenderette pattern number 3475:

As you can see by the date stamp, this was sold by Mille and Rhoads on May 15th 1961. Miller and Rhoads was a Virginia based chain of department stores that are now sadly defunct.

The pattern says it is suitable for rayson, silks and synthetics. Amazingly I have some lightweight synthetics in the remaining stash that are simply perfect for this dress. I’m planning version 1, although I may leave the collar off this version…I’ll see how it looks on me before making a decision.

Next is this gorgeous Marian Martin dress number 9115:

This one has the original postal envelope with it, complete with date stamps:

Don’t you find these little details just as charming and fascinating as the patterns themselves?

The Marian Martin pattern pieces are the “proper” vintage ones without markings, which will be a first for me. I have some more synthetics that would work beautifully with this pattern, but I also have some pale green linen that might work too. Especially piped in navy!

I’m so thrilled with these patterns and can’t wait to make them up. I have a top sitting on Maud waiting for sleeve bindings and hems and the infamous jeans have had their waistband removed and just need a new one adding. Once these are done I’m starting one of these dresses I think.

Regards the jeans, I decided to suck up redoing the waistband rather than let them languish awaiting weight loss. Especially as they are most definitely a prototype for future pairs and I want to wear them to work out where the kinks in the pattern are.

I’m hoping to share both of these projects with you soon but between school holidays and final papers, sewing time is a bit limited. I know I’m not alone with this predicament at the moment. 😉

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