Sharing, Inspiration and Project Photos XVIII

[KathrynT]

Stash, I'm glad you showed us the larger photo.  The look on the little fellow's face is gorgeous!

Ruthie, I agree with Ann about the velvet top and pants looks gorgeous.  Normally that type of velvet is not my taste, but you are making me rethink.  It's the perfect marriage of style and fabric.

Kathryn, I have avoided slinky thinking that it belonged in the too hard basket, but I'm rethinking that now also.  I love a crisp shirt, but the reality is most days I wear what's ready to go, so slinky sounds perfect.  Thanks for all the tips on seams in your blog.  Did you just do a coverstitch hem?  The slinky behaved? The dress is beautiful and your daughter has obviously inherited some of your creativity to think of the lace.

Myrna, I really like the way you styled your new top and those shoes are very cute!

Lots of ideas today, thanks everyone.

[Carole]

Great picture, Stash!

[lyra]

Awwww, that is the cutest little holiday dress!     It's so precious   

[marciae]

Stash thanks for the larger picture - cute cute cute!

[Diane Egelston]

A long time ago Myrna posted pictures of a beautiful top. Inspiring, Myrna! I'm also enjoying your blog. Thanks!

Ruthie, what a great wardrobe. Love the colors and silhouettes.

Kathryn, your DD's dress was lovely to begin with, and the lace just amps it up to a more glamourous level. Thanks for the details. Also, the color is to-die-for.

And Stash, you are so beautiful. I hope to meet you in person someday -- I'll bet being with you is like sharing warm sunshine.

[stashpanache]

Thank you.  Don't you just love how KK is holding little Sam's hand?  He smiled through the entire session.

[mardel]

Wonderful picture Stash, and the cherubs are just adorable.

[fzxdoc]

Stash, you really did a superb job on little KK's dress. I love everything about it--the color, the style, the hand beaded embellishment--the whole 9 yards (or probably 1.5 yards to be more accurate ). KK looks like the little princess that she is. And little Sam's megawatt personality can't be missed. What a sweet smile on that little guy. No wonder you look so happy (and really pretty!) in the photo, with those adorable grandchildren in your life.

Thank you all so much, Marcia, Mardel, Janis, PattiB, Indigotiger, Karen (karendee), Madrons, Leslie (lessalt), Ann, KathrynT, and DianeE for your fine compliments on the Slinky dress that I made for my DD.  At first I didn't like the idea of adding the silver lace cummerbund, thinking that it just widened the look at the waistline, but in reality it turned out really pretty, and DD is happy, which is what counts.

KathrynT, I did indeed use my Janome 1000CP coverhem machine to sew the hem on that Slinky. It went in so nicely, without a ripple in sight. Whew! 

Kathryn

[stashpanache]

Thank you, Kathryn.  She is wearing her dress on Christmas day, so I will take a proper pose full length of her in the dress.  So far, the beads have stayed on and the hand picked zipper stayed in, in spite of the fact I used rayon thread.   I did go back and use construction thread to hand sew it to the SA where it wouldn't show.  I always worry that DD won't like what I make for her but she did like it and agreed with us that the sparkly overskirt would have been overkill and taken away from the scalloped hem.  Green is my favorite color and it looks so good on KK.  Her eyes are hazelly green in real life so it looks especially nice.  Nice change from her usual red Christmas dress.

[Stephie]

Beautiful picture stash of you and Grandkids. Dress turned out lovely.
I am too far behind to comment on all projects but cannot let Kathryn's dress and cummerband for her daughter go without comment.
Just lovely and appreciate the tutorial. You are a great teacher,
Terry

[Janis]

Stash, the dress turned out beautifully!  KK looks so adorable in it!  There's just something about dark hair, dark eyes, and that shade of green.

And Sam is a little doll, isn't he?  BTW, all teachers have their good names and bad names (you know...never name your child X, because if you do you'll be sorry ), and Sam is definitely one of the good names.

[Madrona]

Stash that is a fantastic picture.  You can sure tell you are a proud gramma.   

[Karendee]

Oh, Stash!!!

Thanks so much for sharing this larger pic with us. What beauties you three are. First, you look just glorious--quite lovely with your glowing hair and magnificent face (not to forget your new trim figure!) Miss KK looks so good in the green Christmas dress; that green shade really sets off her skin, hair and eyes. And who could compete with baby Sam holding KK's finger? What a gorgeous smile and such a happy baby. You are just overly blessed with these children.

Hugs,
Karen

[stashpanache]

Thank you.  Yes, the little ones are my raison d'être for the most part.    I waited a long time for them.

Janis, thank you for telling me about the name.  At first, before he was born, I was not sure about "Samuel" for a wee one.  But, of course, it fits him to a T and we love it.  I was just hoping for no fad names and am lucky that both grandchildren have dignified names that won't be made fun of in school.

I found that sweater in my closet hanging up.  To show you how old it probably is, it has light shoulder pads in it.  But, it is silk.  It is the only silk knit I own and it feels wonderful on.  Was happy to get into it again.  Of course, the babies are hiding me in the important places too.

Stash

[Myrna]

A long time ago Myrna posted pictures of a beautiful top. Inspiring, Myrna! I'm also enjoying your blog. Thanks!

Thanks. - Myrna

[Liana]

I know I'm not going to manage to read everything I've missed, and comment nicely on it all, but I'm trying to catch up, and what I'm seeing so far is like a refreshing drink of water to a thirsty person.  It's just great seeing all the projects, and the lovely work done. 

Stash, your DGD is just the cutest thing, and her dress is darling.  What a great photo of the three of you!


VtMartha,  Charming baby things!  I love the collection aspect.  I imagine they will overwhelm the mother when she receives them, if not the baby itself. 

Kathryn,  Your DD's dress is so cute, and the silver lace is so perfect for the holidays.  I'm sure she feels like she has a new party dress, but how nice to get it with one 'small' change. 

I haven't sewn anything for quite some time now, but I'm sort of getting an inkling that it's time to begin again.  I have been knitting, but no photos really.  It's great to be back with you all, and I hope I'm going to be able to spend a little time here again now.  My schedule is now completely different from what it's been for the last few years, and it's an adjustment I'm still making, and I suspect I won't be done adjusting for quite some time.

[stashpanache]

Liana,

How wonderful to see you!  We have missed you.  It will be great to see your posts again, whenever you are feeling up to it?  The needle arts can be very soothing, yes? 

Stash

[Diane Egelston]

Liana, it's so great to see you! I absolutely love your new avatar.

[Patti B]

Stash, what a wonderful photo of you (pretty you!) and your darling grands.  Liana, lovely new photo and so good to see you back!

I have finally finished the linen jacket I sewed for my DD's best friend! Trumpets should blare! I rashly offered to sew something for this delightful young woman and it turned into a jacket. For many of you, this wouldn't be difficult but I am probably one of the least experienced tailors around. This is my third lined jacket -- ever. Anyway, I made many mistakes and hope that most of them aren't viewable from 3 feet (my mother's rule of thumb). The good news is that it's DONE!!!!! It's from Jalie 2559 which is a great pattern and actually goes down to size zero. I learned a lot on the jacket and made practice welt pockets and topstitching variations. Also, I confused myself by reading entirely too many jacket books; I would have been better off just sticking with one method. Lesson learned. Here's the album and a link to the full review on PR. She is just a little mite of a woman and it was interesting to sew for her.

[fzxdoc]

Liana, welcome back! It will be nice when you get the chance to come here more often, but taking your time and adjusting to how things are in your life as it is now are the most important things.  It's good that you've been getting some knitting done.  Any kind of handwork can be soothing to the soul. I sure have missed having you here. And thank you for liking my DD's dress.

Terry (Stephie), thank you for your generous compliments. I'm blushing!

PattiB, that is such a beautiful jacket. I can't believe that you made it for a friend of your DD. That's real devotion.  Your work on the details simply shines.  Great job!

I hadn't noticed that Jalie pattern before, but with its design lines, it offers a lot of nice places for alteration. Plus the fact that it goes down to a size 0 (always a puzzlement to me, zero meaning no size at all in my mind ) is a benefit to the slight-of-frame.  I like the Jalie sizing, though, because it seems to be more shape-friendly than that of some of the other pattern companies.

In the muslins that you made for that tiny friend of your DD's, the upper sleeve looks voluminous and the armhole looks low.  I noticed that you mentioned adjusting the sleeve volume in the final garment. Did you adjust the armhole depth as well?  I'm asking because I'd like to give that jacket a try for my DD, and for myself, perhaps, in the future. It's nice to have an understanding of how the original pattern is designed to see whether it is a good candidate for a future project.  I have such admiration for your sewing that I know that you will give me the best answer. That sure saves figuring it out for myself, lazy bug that I am!  

Thanks for sharing your project, Patti. It's a real winner!

Kathryn

[marciae]

Great jacket - - and very nice of you to make it for her.

[shams]

Stash, I just love your new avatar pic.  You look positively radiant, gorgeous, and your grandkids are A-DOR-A-BLE.

Liana, it is SO good to see you back and you look fabulous in your new avatar photo too.  It's a process, but it sounds like you are doing well.

Patti B, what a great jacket!  The workmanship looks impeccable.

[vtmartha]

Liana, what a treat to hear from you!

Patti, I am so impressed with your jacket making.  Your DD's friend must be thrilled!

[Patti B]

Kathryn, Marcia and shams, thanks for the kind words -- this was a project that needed them!     

In the muslins that you made for that tiny friend of your DD's, the upper sleeve looks voluminous and the armhole looks low.  I noticed that you mentioned adjusting the sleeve volume in the final garment. Did you adjust the armhole depth as well? 

Kathryn, yes to the need for alterations! And I'm blushing that anyone would think that I'm a good source of sewing info -- thank you. You can't see it on the photo of the 2d muslin, but I took out a .5 inch pleat all around the jacket (including the sleeves) at a bit above the notch location on the armscye. This petited the pattern enough to fit better. Originally, the armhole was halfway to her waist and I was surprised that this fairly minor alteration made such a difference in the 2d muslin. This is the reverse of what I did on the jacket for my DD last spring when I de-petited a Burda for her. [BTW, I'm fairly sure that petiting and depetiting aren't verbs!] I used .75 inch seams in both sleeve seams to remove some of the volume and did the same above the bust line on the princess seams. Looking back on my notes, taking the pleat and shortening the sleeves an additional inch are really the only fitting I did. The sleeves are so narrow at the wrist now that I could hardly insert the sleeve roll.

I'm sure my fellow sewists will appreciate this quote from my victim, er DD's friend, "Did you laugh when your daughter told you that I half-wanted to keep the muslin? Just because I've never had anything that fit me that well before!" I'll be waiting to hear her reaction when she receives the jacket next week. She's 1000 miles away so I won't see it on her for awhile.

Here's the back of the muslin showing the pleat and how it improved the fit in the armscye. This muslin wasn't pressed on receipt and no shoulder pads were used.

[Carole]

Liana, how good to hear from you.  I've thought of you often, and hoped that things are getting easier.
Patti, great work on the jacket.  Very courageous of you, I think!

[KathrynT]

Liana, nice to here from you.  We've all been thinking of you.

[AnnRowley]

Liana, I'm delighted to see you again - and your new avatar.  Take your time; knitting is great while you are waiting for the urge to sew something.

Patti, what a great jacket!  I do hope that your "victim" will appreciate all the work you've put into this - she should!

[ejvc]

Patti, it's a great jacket and you are now officially a source of sewing information.  That's how it goes.  If you ca make a great jacket, you know something.  Liana, nice to see you!  Everyone who commented so long ago on my doll clothes - thanks so much!  I have more brewing!!  I love using the fancy machine stitches on these things -- I would never use them for myself, except now I am starting to see possibilities.  Fun!

[shams]

Seems like it's been ages since I had photos of something I could blog! 

This was an easy skirt I made for the holidays.  I got the inspiration from a RTW skirt.  It's a simple pencil skirt, with a diagonal seam.  At the bottom of the diagonal seam (on the bottom piece) is a flounce.







More on my bloggy blog:  http://communingwithfabric.blogspot.com/2009/12/self-drafted-pencil-skirt-with-flounce.html

[Karendee]

Wonderful skirt, Shams! You make the most interesting garments.

Patti, the jacket for DD;s friend is just such a wonderful gift. I know this young lady appreciates such a beautiful, well-fitting jacket. You can tell that she is quite tiny and would be hard to find clothing this well fitted.

Karen

[Jacs]

Hi

Wonderful creations from one and all, my breakfasts wouldnt be the same without this topic.  Liana like everyone else I am glad to see you back here.

Patti I love the jacket you made and like Kathryn am interested to see the alterations you made.  Thanks for the muslin picture.  Although I am by no means petite I need to do the same alteration for anything to fit me so I think I will be trying this Jalie pattern as well.

Jacqui

[stashpanache]

Patti,

Great job on the jacket.  You are really brave.  I am taking a second look at that pattern.

Shams, nice skirt.  It looks like your sweater and the skirt were made to go together...Perfect pairing.

[Liana]

PattiB,  That jacket looks so good.  Your friend must be thrilled out of her mind to have something that fits so nicely, if the muslin and her reaction to it are anything to go by.  It's nice for all of our very tiny members to get a good report on a jacket that goes to such a small size, too.  I know it's just as much work to downsize as upsize.  We'd all like to just take out the pattern, cut it out, sew it up, and wear it with a perfect fit.  We don't ask for much, do we? 

Shams,  That skirt is perfect with that jacket.  Very cute idea.  You always have something that has that little twist to it that makes it fun. 

Thank you all for the most warm welcome 'home'.    The new avatar was a photo taken by a friend who stayed with me for a while.  We had been fabric shopping, so naturally we were both in a good mood.    I'm always surprised when a photo turns out to be something I like, and I thought it was just time for a new avatar. 

[BetsyV]

Patti wonderful jacket for your DD's friend!

Liana so nice to have you back here and posting again. Loved your outfits on the What I wore thread the past couple of days.

[stashpanache]

Another Jalie 2804.  I am so sick of this pattern.  And, for some reason, something always goes awry.   DD tried on a basted version in this size so I know it fits.  I think I trimmed the binding too short and it might ride up.  I hope not but I could not see the black stitches and there was no way to pick out the lightening stitch.  I had trouble sewing this fabric.  I fiddled with my presser foot pressure, tension and used the lightening stitch.  It isn't awful but it sure wanted to slip around under the presser foot.  In real life, this print is very pretty.  The red is a very blue red, not tomato like it looks in the photo.

I have one more of these to do and then it is going into retirement for awhile.

Liana, I love your new Avatar.