Sewing for the beach

You may be expecting lots of swimming costume photos in this post, maybe a beach bag or two, a sarong or caftan - I did make some of those things before heading off to the beach for a week with my family, but unfortunately, what got the most wear was this,



(the rest of us have jackets too, but you have seen them already)

2004 Gortex rain jacket pattern Green Pepper Oregon jacket, lengthened and pocketed, size 10, on my 8 year old. (Originally his sister's, but don't tell anyone)

Some of the new swim wear got a work-out




The rashie (sun-protective rash vest) on the boy - everything else is last year's swimmers.






Did I tell you about making the spray skirt? Neoprene is easier to sew than you would think.

I had a lovely holiday, but there were no sewing machines for 7 days. Fortunately, there were some very subtle hints in the comments on the last post about writing a smocking tutorial, so I was able to start a new project with some handsmocking whilst I was away, with a good excuse. Tutorial later, I promise procrastinate. Thank you for the kind comments about the smocked t shirt. I am still blushing.

It continued to rain after we arrived home this morning, so instead of attending to my very weedy garden, I made a couple of un-smocked t shirts.





Jalie cross over t-shirt, 2787






and Burda magazine 02-2009-118, adapted to sleevelessness. They are both made from black cotton-lycra knit, decorated with purple coverstitching, because that was left over from the last project. Sewing obsession is not always pretty!

T Shirt Marathon progress report

Interviewer: I hear that Kbenco has entered a t shirt marathon.



Coach: That's true, she had put in so much preparation for the BWOF 8-2010 t shirts, - dusting off the coverstitch, sharpening the blades on the overlocker, putting in new stretch needles, re-threading and tension adjusting, that she felt it was worth entering the t shirt marathon rather than keeping to her usual events.

Interviewer: You could not say she was a natural t shirt athlete. In fact some people would say that this marathon is really more of a training session. Is entry in this event related to Kbenco's recent revelation that she intends to master the coverstitch?



Coach: Kbenco has several reasons for entering the t shirt marathon. She is well aware of her knit technique deficits. Several of these have been displayed in the early part of the marathon.



However, Kbenco feels that the main point of being a hobby seamstress is to maintain her own interest and to expand her skill repetoire. Making her own clothes is a perk. Any teenager who feels that the main point of their mother being a hobby seamstress is to keep them provided with an endless stream of new clothes is completely wrong. This is definitely not why she entered the event. The t shirt marathon is an anomaly. I know she has done it before, but don't count on it as a regular event.

Interviewer: Is that why she has been completely distracted from the main event by adding smocking to the course?

Coach: Who told you that? Smocking! on t shirts! Is the woman crazy? She will never finish the marathon by doing this sort of thing.



Interviewer: That would seem likely.

Coach: I had better tell the girls to start saving up to actually buy clothes.

Interviewer: I don't think that will go down well. There is a certain impression that Kbenco is letting down the team.

Coach: Maybe the girls should start some of their own training. Unfortunately there has been a bit of resistance.

Interviewer: The outcome will be interesting.


(P.S. The last photo is what I am wearing this morning for the last day of SelfStitchedSeptember. I don't start work until 12, and cannot bear to show you another work outfit.)

Jalie Sweetheart top merino version

I am still working on the travel wardrobe (only 4 sleeps to go)but am a little behind in my posting. This has something to do with too much cycling. It wears you out.

Here is my warmest underlayer - a merino jersey version (merino from The Fabric Place, October Sydney trip) of the Jalie Sweetheart top (around version 15 for me, all my female relatives own one of these tops by now).



I would like to be able to tell you that the embroidered fly stitch leaves on one side of the upper bodice are purely a design feature, but I am (mostly) aiming for truth in blogging. Despite making at least 14 of these tops previously, I managed to attach the upper bodice incorrectly during a moment of inattention, and had to unpick 10 gazillion lightening stitches from my very fine knit fabric. Guess what happened.

2 of the leaves are hole disguisers. I bet you can't pick which ones. (whispers - they may not actually be in the photograph)

I am not entirely comfortable in this top as a stand alone garment. It shows every bump.

I did think of making it double layered, but this would remove the ease of washing and quick drying properties that I require. If I were to make it again from merino, I would make the next size up to reduce the cling factor.
I am also thinking again about the terrible tourist trousers. I have come to the conclusion that the main problem is that I am not really a sporty dresser, and these clothes are undeniably sporty in nature. I have a sudden fancy for linen trousers. This would be Cidell's fault - I wonder if I could squeeze in a pair by Saturday?

Fast Christmas Sewing

Some months ago, I had the bright idea of smocking dresses or tops for each of my seven nieces as Christmas presents. Well, I have given up. Somehow I managed to make 2 or 3 outfits for the babies and toddlers, one outfit for a 4 year old, and my smocking mojo has worn out before I reached the last family, containing nieces aged nearly 4, up to nearly 9. I will not feel guilty, as they all received smocked birthday dresses this year.
Instead, I bought plain white t shirts at Target, and made these quick and easy cotton print skirts with a ruffle. I have put these in a parcel with a book each, and expect to have 3 happy nieces. The pattern is skirt 24 from Topkids Issue 59. The fabric is from Spotlight via my stash. I have altered the pattern only by using elastic attached to a drawcord for the waist gathering, edge stitching the top edge of the casing, and using a rolled hem to finish the ruffle.

 

DD the younger really fancied these skirts. She wanted me to make her one too, so that she can match her cousins when they visit us in January. I tried to convince her to make it herself - this is a really easy pattern, but there was no interest at all. She made me a cup of tea instead.

 

Naturally, once I had whipped up the skirt, she announced that she had no plain white t shirts. I am pretty sure this is a fib, but admit she is growing very fast, and did not want to plumb the depths of her wardrobe, so made her Jalie 2787, which she has been hinting about since I made my own unsuccessful versions. On her, it looks fabulous. I now love the pattern. She really likes the flutter sleeve. I used fold over elastic for the neck and cross overs, and am very happy with the outfit. ( The top was too long again, I have taken around 7 cm from the hem)

 

Here is a last photo to show the whole skirt on my daughter. I quite like the waistband, but my daughter says she likes to wear her tops out, rather than tucked in.

 

Knit tops

I do not find knit sewing very rewarding. I am not at all skilled at this type of sewing, but am trying to improve. I think it is more difficult than it appears. Despite my lack of skill causing some of my dissatisfaction, I am pretty sure after my 3rd attempt that the Jalie 2787 top is not for me. For this version I used a lovely thick cotton lycra knit that I bought at the Sunday markets earlier this week - I have never seen fabric there before. This was much easier to sew than the rayon jersey I used previously (thanks Maree for the words of consolation, now I know I am not alone with my troubles with this fabric). I did not use contrast bindings, making the construction even more simple. I increased the length of the cross overs by 1.5cm to allow more bust room - the previous tops pulled to the front at the side seams. However, there is still puddling and wrinkling at the lower front. The fabric is not at all stretched here in construction. I now realize this is not the fabric, but the cut of the pattern. I could alter the style, but looking at the pattern envelope and the reviews at pattern review,it only now strikes me that this seems most flattering on women with fairly spare and elegant figures, neither of which adjectives apply to me. It is useful, I suppose to discover yet another unflattering style to avoid!

 

I have not done a great job with this version of Simplicity 4095 - how stupid of me to follow Simplicity's topstitching instructions at the neck, because it looked fine before this step, but generally, I think this style of top is more suitable for my shape. Unfortunately, it is not as interesting in design.

 

Fortunately, I think the Jalie top will look very good on my daughters. I am very pleased that it comes in so many sizes.

Jalie 2787, and the perils of internet shopping

I worked on Jalie 2787 this weekend. I am not sure yet whether or not I like this pattern. I think I have a wearable garment from it, but it is not the garment I was planning, nor is it completely successful in Mark 2 version.

 

What I wanted to make, was a sleeveless top to wear right now, in very hot weather. I ordered a rayon jersey print that I thought would work, but when it arrived it was terribly thin fabric. No doubt this fabric is useful for something, but made up in this stretchy t shirt pattern, it was horrid to sew, growing under the needle, and looks awful on - it clings and grabs, the hems and lower front bodice look stretched out, and in general this behaved like a cheap nasty fabric. It was not cheap, and probably I have just picked the wrong pattern for this fabric.

 

This looks like a $2 t shirt from a reject bin to me. I really tried to make it work in this version, but it was not co-operative. Instead, I made a second version, shown at the top of the post, laying the fabric out on another very thin cotton jersey that again, I would not sew as a t shirt by itself and cutting out then sewing the 2 fabrics as if they were a single layer. This has given the garment slighty better body, and I will probably wear the 3/4 sleeve version next winter, but it is far too hot to wear now. I did not make a second sleeveless version from the 2 layers of fabric, as I find 2 thin layers much warmer than a single medium weight fabric, and knew that I would not wear a 2 layer version in hot weather.
I am very pleased to have none of this print fabric left. I seem incapable of throwing out theoretically useable pieces of fabric, so this would have haunted me in the stash.
To close on a better note, I will have to veer considerably off topic. My garden is enjoying the well soaked soil that is the aftermath of all the huge storms we have recently experienced in Queensland. Here are some gardenias in the backyard. I have never seen such big ones, and the scent is wonderful.