Sewing Vortex

I picked up an old UFO (muslin) this past week during our heat wave and trashed it. The fit was so off, there was no help for it. I love the style, and it's perfect for this coming summer, so I pulled out the original pattern again and started from scratch. This pattern has cup sizes all the way to D, which is great, but it's also what tripped me up in the beginning. I selected my correct size and chose a larger cup size, based on my bra size. Whipped it up and... the shoulders and upper chest fit great. The back was almost perfect Everything from the waist down was just right. The front bust, however, was terrible! Way too much ease and gaping arm holes. And the dart...it was so big, it just looked BAD.  On the advice of my favorite English Heckler over at Prolific Project Starter I ended up cutting another muslin front in the same size, but two cup sizes smaller. Muslin number two was worlds better! Seems that while I have a very small ribcage resulting in the...

Lining, that is! That really doesn't make much sense, but it's been stuck in my brain the whole time I've been working on my Salamanca Jacket . The pattern is a pretty new release from Itch-To-Stitch . I knew right from the testing call that I would NEED to make this jacket (probably a couple times), so the Sew Along being run via the company's Facebook group the last few weeks was a good excuse to dive right in. Based on the feed back of the pattern testers, and my experience with Itch-To-Stitch patterns, I decided to skip the fitting muslin and start with a wearable version. From my stash, I selected this faded dirty grey raw silk suiting. It's shot through with pink and rust, is full of slubs and flaws and lacks the sheen so loved in finely finished silk. It's one of those fabrics that sat in my stash because I didn't care for it the second I opened the delivery box. As it turns out, even an unloved fabric can become something great when combined...

I've taken stock of what has been made for my Sew Seasonal Wardrobe today, and what I've discovered is I don't have a collection at all. I had no idea going into this that I would find it so difficult! I have made a series of garments very few of which can be worn with each other and with no real common thread to bring them together. Instead of planning "connector" pieces, I keep dreaming up new garments that have nothing to do with a Spring Capsule Wardrobe, or I find myself drawn to finishing long forgotten items in my UFO pile. So what's a seamstress to do? Honestly, aside from needing to make more tops, no idea. I need to have a sit down with my self and reassess my original plans. I have 7 weeks to put something cohesive together. In the mean time, I'm going to keep sewing. Join the conversation  at our Group's Facebook Page,  Sew Alongs & Sewing Contests , and share what you are working on this week!   Did you miss a previo...

I used to complain about being hot in the summer growing up...a lot. My mom always told me that when I pay the electric bill, I can keep the house as cool as I wanted. I'm all grown up now and my house is COLD all summer. Still, there's that transition time in April, May and some parts of June where the outside temperature is only in the 60s and low 70s, but my house... my house will be 80+ even with the windows open. I don't know why, it must be witchcraft or something because it certainly doesn't retain heat in the winter. In any case, those are the days when I need Hot Weather PJs, so I took a quick detour this week and whipped up a set! It started with the leftover fabric from my Marigold Blouse and the free City Gym Shorts pattern from Purl Soho . These things only take a tiny amount of fabric, and are super easy to put together. My hips measured was at the top of one size, so I made the next larger, and I'm glad I did. They are a bit loose, and the leg op...