SEWmuchKNITting

My favorite outfit to wear to work is a knit dress with tights or leggings and flats or boots. Having made  Butterick 5246  a couple of years ago unsuccessfully, I thought I would give it another go. I loved the boat necked cowl, and the empire waist. I purchased this beefy knit from Haberman Fabrics last fall, and I was excited to make it into a dress. I had notes about what went wrong with the fit last time, and now that the FBA and swayback adjustments are ones I know how to do, I was excited to move forward.  Looks cute, huh? I like this boat neck cowl!                             This time I made about a 1/2" swayback adjustment, and the back fits better. Well, there are issues.  I wish I would have looked a little closer at the armhole draft on the pattern! I thought the tightness in the bodice was from the lack of an FBA, but I think the armhole draft contributes to...

One thing I wanted to do last year, and didn't, was to fit a pants pattern for dress slacks for work. Years ago (many, many years ago!) when I could sew a pattern right out of the envelope without any fitting alterations, I had a TNT pattern that I used to make all of my slacks (narrow waistband, side zipper). I was feeling a little daunted by what I thought would be a big project, so I have been sewing dresses and skirts....but no fitted pants. Well, I am happy to say hurray for Simplicity 2700 !! The pants below were the first attempt, and I used a stash fabric so old that I have no idea where or when I purchased it. I truly thought that these would be a practice pair, and maybe my wearable muslin if all went well. It did!  This pattern by Simplicity is from their Amazing Fit line, designed with fitting options and instructions in mind. This style of pant is exactly what I like, and mimic my favorite pants made by Liz Claiborne. This pattern has a 4-piece curved yoke for the w...

 Looking for a quick and easy project for some sewing success, I turned to Vogue 8731 . This pattern lived up to the positive comments I have seen bloggers post about this cute top. I used a 'snakeskin' ITY knit from Fabric.com since I knew that it would look best in a more drapey fabric. It was a quick and easy project indeed: no darts and no zipper, with an added bonus that no fitting alterations were needed. This is cute at dress length, which is how I initially cut it out, but I really wanted a tunic to wear with leggings and boots, so I shortened the length to just above mid-thigh. I chose to raise the neckline by 1/2" or so, and sewed on a self-fabric binding at the neckline. Although those front pin-tucks were a little tricky with this knit, I really like the design element and it really works in place of more traditional darts. Nice project to start off the New Year! UPDATE: pics before a night out, dinner and theater, with my daughters in Chicag...

I'm proud to be a Michigan Wolverine!

I don't usually "do" New Year's resolutions, but I think setting down some attainable goals at the start of a new year might be interesting. It will be fun to check back throughout the year to see how much I've thought about those goals and worked toward meeting them. Since I hit my mid-50's with my last birthday, a more healthy lifestyle all the way around is at the forefront of my thoughts these days. And not just including a more healthy diet and more frequent exercise, but more thought and consideration to the choices I make each day: what TV shows I watch/don't watch, books I read, words I choose to say/write, people and activities I choose to spend my time with.  With that in mind, here are my 8 goals for 2012, in no particular order: Meal planning  with an eye toward keeping it more nutritious. Looking at the week ahead instead of cooking meals by the seat of my pants. Consistent exercise is a battle for me, and I'll continue to strive for at...

Happy New Year: 2012 is here! I always enjoy reading my fellow bloggers' posts when they summarize their sewing/quilting/knitting/crochet projects for the year. I've always wanted to document my projects too, so here we go! In 2011 I completed: -14 garments -1 bag -5 quilts -15 knitted/crocheted items                                                                                                                                    Simplicity 2212                                                           McCalls 5...