Sweet as Honey Pedicure Socks Reveal!

This week I'm in Los Angeles for work. I arrived this afternoon. And I was walking around - I know, I know, no one walks in LA, it really is true, but there I was - and I passed a yarn shop not too far from my hotel.

Sorry about the glare!

And I realized that all this time I've been knitting socks and scarves, I could have been knitting lingerie for myself! LOL But since those patterns aren't on their website, I guess I'll just have to content myself with socks.

Here is my latest pair! Ta-da!

Sweet As Honey Pedi-socks on ugly as sin runners feet

I had originally started a sock pattern called "Spiral Galaxy", but it was kind of boring to knit and I didn't love how it looked, at least not in my orange yarn.

So, keeping the same cute ruffle cuff, I ripped the rest of the stitches out and did a pattern called "Buzz" instead. It's a cute honeycomb kind of pattern. Sweet, don't you think?  And I finished the sock off with a "pedicure toe". Basically this is just a ribbed knit cuff that allows your toes to peek out.

I did what is called a short row heel (not sure why). It came out ok, but not perfect. The stitches are a little loose and I'm not sure how to tighten them up for next time.

Anyway, I'm away from my sewing machine while traveling for work and trying to fill my spare time with more knitting. So, expect my next pair of socks - a pretty purple number - in the not-too-distant future.

Leather Jacket: My Next Big Project!

For those of you who enjoyed following me through my Lady Grey Coat sewing last winter, my garden party dress in the spring, and my Red Project Dress in the late summer, you'll be happy to know that my next big project is about to take off. For those of you who I bored to tears with multiple muslins, tips and tutorials that I found useful during fitting and sewing, and thoughts on the gadgets that came in handy, well, I guess I'll see you in a month or so for the final reveal. hee hee

So, I've decided the time is right for the leather jacket that I first mentioned in January. Loads of other sewists have been doing great projects with leather or faux leather recently. And, ever since I received the July 2010 edition of BurdaStyle, I've had a crush on this jacket.

BurdaStyle 07/2010 -#118

Does that happen to you? You find yourself returning to a certain pattern in your mind, or flipping to the directions every so often just to peruse them? Or am I weird that way? Anyway, I've had this pattern on the brain for a while. I think the style is pretty unique and eye catching. And, well, we all know how I like that kind of thing.

There is a second variation on this jacket - #119  - that Burda sewed up in a navy blue wool.

BurdaStyle 07/2010 #119

I plan to do a bit of a mash up of the two patterns - the collar of #119 (ie: one piece lapel rather than pieced), the zipper closure and non-cuffed sleeves from #118, and I'm on the fence about the peplum.

At this point, muslin 1.0 is cut, but not yet marked or sewn. I'm using up some of the ugliest denim known to man for this muslin. Seriously, the right side is dark green camo with pink and turquoise roses strewn about for good measure. I'm using the plain brown wrong side. I bought it to use as muslin for jeans, but then I found RTW jeans that fit really well. So it's been an eyesore in my stash for about 2 years. My goal for muslin 1.0 is simply to work out any fitting issues and see if I prefer the peplum or the straight back.

Fugly, no?

Here's what I'm doing/pondering so far:

• Which sewing machine to use - my Viking (I have a handy rolling foot for sticky fabrics) vs my granny's old workhorse (better on bulk)? I may end up sewing on the Viking and top stitching on granny's. Only testing will tell. 
• Reading up on good tips for sewing on leather - Lindsay T, Gorgeous Ann, the Sewing Lawyer and Kbenco have all done great posts on working with leather or leather jackets specifically. If you've got any tips or suggestions for further research, please suggest!
• Whether to use all leather, or make the jacket leather on the front, but a sturdy double knit in the back. This would keep costs down and may make fitting a bit easier and more forgiving.
• Zippers - I'm wondering if I can forgo the sleeve zippers. I think the jacket might be a bit more sleek without them.  

Have you sewn on  leather or another tricky fabric? Feel free to share!  And stay tuned since this is likely to be just the first of several posts about this project! 

PR Weekend in my Hometown!

It seems like I'm out of town every time there are other sewists visiting NYC.  But not this time! Not only is PR weekend in my hometown (yay New York!), but it's also on a weekend that I can make (double yay!)!  I've already registered.

Now, I just have to plan what to wear. (Seriously, I'm already having fits of angst about it. And May can really go either way in NY - it could be deliciously summery or cold and damp.)

I hope to meet some of you there! Holler if you're in! I shall grill you about what you plan to wear at a later date. ;-)

Deets are here if you didn't get the email.

Cute Purse from Left Over Scraps!

First, thank you everyone for the compliments on my color blocked dress! For some reason, I've always liked a green and purple color combo. So, it was fun to put them together in one dress.

So, today's news! When I finished up the diaper bag for my excellent friend, Dr Kiang, I was left with a whole bunch of scraps of ripstop that I really didn't want. And as I thought back to my sister Calliope's diaper bag carrying days, I remembered that she was always either trying to deal with carrying a diaper bag plus a purse OR digging through the depths of her diaper bag to try to find her wallet, keys, lipstick, etc.

So, I had a little brainstorm: why not make a cute matching clutch purse that can be clipped into the diaper bag or carried separately?

Enter Vogue 8527, which is now on clearance at the Vogue website. I picked version D and it sewed up pretty quickly and easily. The only change I madewas to add a tab with a D ring on it so that it could be clipped into the diaper bag.

There's not much to add other than I think it's a cute little bag that's large enough for the essentials.

This weekend I'm visiting with Dr K to deliver the bag and meet her new little guy for the first time. (Yay!  Auntie Clio gets some baby time!) Have a great weekend everyone!

Color Block Dress Reveal!

Ta-da! Version #2 of the Burda Cover Dress! This time color blocked.

The only fitting change from the first version is that I made the front collar slightly narrower. Oh! And also, I figured out how the sleeves were supposed to be attached. Or at least I figured out a better way of attaching them. Whether it was how Burda intended, I have no idea. Either way, this version is much less messy on the inside.

For some reason, Phin thinks the way the color blocking looks on the back is very cool. The bright colors and color blocking trends seem to be going strong, so I'm probably going to wear this dress a whole lot this spring. In fact, I'm wearing it today for a post-V-day dinner out with Phin.

Oh, and by the way, this double knit feels really nice to wear! And it sewed up beautifully. Thanks to Faye for singing it's praises!

Update: Not One, But Two Great V-Day Sewing Deals!

It's a very sweet day to be a sewist!

Just to sweeten up your Valentine's Day, first M&J Trimming in NY's Garment District is offering a $30-worth-of-trimming-for-$15 deal over at Living Social (a Groupon competitor). You know I bought one!

Just click here if you want to do the same! The deal runs for 2 more days. It doesn't seem to specify whether or not you can use it on-line, so buyer beware.

Next, Mood is offering 15% off fashion fabrics today and tomorrow when you shop on-line! Just use the coupon code: V-Day2012.

Wishing you all sequin-studded, be-ribboned and feather-fringed love this Valentine's Day! It may be a Hallmark holiday, but is there really ever a bad time for letting the people in your life know how loved and appreciated they are?  I think not. My fantastic Phin is making cassoulet for dinner and I'll be serving up fresh-from-the-oven chocolate chip cookies for dessert.  I hope your plans are equally gooey!

Inner Workings: Interfacing

in·ter·fac·ing

noun \-ˌfā-siŋ\

fabric sewn between the facing and the outside of a garment (as in a collar or cuff) for stiffening and shape retention

You've probably noticed that I've been giving a lot of thought to the underpinnings of my sewing lately - the hardware and unseen inner workings of things.

Back in August when I was struggling to insert the zipper in my jumpsuit, someone suggested that I interface the zipper area. I did, and the zipper went in like a dream. This is now my standard operating procedure. Around that same point in time, I came across this post at Fashion Incubator. The gist is that home sewists don't utilize interfacing in their garments nearly enough. It changed my thinking on interfacing entirely.

Upper back piece of my color block dress, interfaced at the shoulders and sleeve seam.

Earlier in my sewing life, I interfaced only when and where a pattern called for it. And my earlier experiences were not very positive. I didn't know the benefits of interfacing or what good interfacing was. Needless to say  I had trouble fusing and working with the cheap stuff that was sold to me at the local craft store, and the results were not good.

But, the first time I used really nice quality interfacing, the difference was marked and I was sold. Good quality interfacing fuses smoothly and quickly (none of this holding the iron on it for 10-20 seconds nonsense that can leave you with scorched fabric), doesn't distort the fabric or drape, and adds strength and stability to the garment. For me, good interfacing is worth the extra money. I've also come to appreciate how much interfacing makes things like zipper insertion easier, how it extends the life of a garment at the areas that tend to wear, like hems, buttonholes, zippers, hooks-and-eyes, etc. I also like how it can keep a knit garment from stretching and distorting over time, particularly at the neckline.

So, I finished sewing up my second version of the Burda Cover Dress last night (reveal of this color-blocked dress on Thurday). I used two different interfacings - weft strips for the shoulders and where the sleeves would attached (ie: where the garment should not stretch) and tricot for the facings, for the sleeve bands and at the hem.

Re-doing the hem of version 1

I was so pleased with how the hem came out - how stable and basically invisible it was that I ripped out the hem of my first version of the dress, which I had been unhappy with. I interfaced it and re-sewed it by hand last night. It's so much better now!  Much less visible.

Anyway, are you a fan of interfacing or do you use it only as a pattern calls for it? Do you have a preferred brand or supplier?  What are your thoughts?

Update: After puu's comment - feel free to weigh in on sew-in interfacing and organza used as underlining or interfacing. I used organza as a sew-in underling for the fabulous red dress I finished in September. And for a fancy dress I think it is the way to go. I loved it.  And I've also used sew-in interfacing. Sew in hair canvas was fantastic for interfacing my Lady Grey coat, but I tend to have a rough time with the sew-in stuff in general because it tends to shift while you machine baste it in and I don't always have time for hand basting.