Sewing Vortex

I've always considered myself to be a low-maintenance kind of woman. I don't get my nails done, I don't wear much (if any) make up and fixing my hair consists of a 5 minute blow dry with a round brush. Some how, that seems in contrast with me standing here, alone in my yard, on a chilly fall Monday taking photos of myself all made up at 9am in a flounced skirt. But the truth is, I feel great in my skirt, and achieving this look takes the same effort as putting on jeans and a tee shirt. Let's talk about my skirt. It's Itch-To-Stitch's newest pattern, the Vientiane Skirt , just released today! I applied to test this pattern for two reasons:  #1, Testing for Itch-To-Stitch is a great experience. I always enjoy the process of working and sharing in small group. It's an opportunity to interact directly with the designer, Kennis Wong, and I always learn something new.  #2 The Skirt, of course! It's feminine and flirty but not juvenile. Like all o

I've had a few troublesome sews lately...machine failures, buttonhole catastrophes, zipper insertions just not working out. I decided a brief interlude with a fun knit project was in needed. The Arenal Top from Itch-To-Stich was on my radar, so I moved it up to the top of my sewing queue. I printed the size 10, same as my Hepburn Turtlenecks from a few weeks ago, hoping that it would have a similar draft through the shoulder, bust and sleeve because I like the fit of my turtlenecks so much. And it is very similar. There is just a smidge more ease through the body and sleeve to provide a slightly more relaxed (but not at all sloppy) fit. I also found the sleeve to be a few inches longer than the Hepburn. I chopped off the sleeve to match that length because it's a length I prefer. For my first version, I decided to use this pink striped sweater knit found on the Joann's Red Tag table many years ago. I had initially wanted to use this for an Itch-To-

You guys must know by now what a Fan Girl I am for Itch-To-Stitch Patterns . Even so, when the Hepburn Turtleneck was released last spring, I completely passed it over: It's not the 90's anymore; I'm too busty and thick through the waist ; high necklines don't flatter me... But then, as I Googled for ways to style my new "grunge" inspired Emily Culottes , I realized just how wrong I was. The 90's are IN right now. Turtlenecks are back and it is the perfect compliment to my new culottes. So, a few Sundays ago, I found myself downloading the Hepburn PDF and then I popped out not one, but TWO versions in a single afternoon. That's pretty much unheard of in my sewing room.  I usually measure between an 8 and 10 in Itch-To-Stitch, with the 8 being my go-to size for wovens. The Hepburn Turtleneck is a knit, with NEGATIVE ease, so for this pattern I decided to size up to the 10. It was the perfect choice. Other than a 1/2 inch