2 Pattern Pyramid Give Aways!

I tried this a couple of posts ago, but I'm thinking that either I put too much in one post, or no one cares about pattern pyramids anymore. I'm hoping that the first option is true because I have two pattern pyramid give aways (the first I won via Poldapop, and one from my own stash).

Here are the original rules that I've modified for these two give aways:

• Anyone, anywhere in the world, can enter by leaving a comment on this post by midnight Central Standard Time on Saturday, May 4, 2013 but you must have an active blog for reasons that are about to become apparent.
• I will randomly select two winners, Persons A1 and A2, and post them the collection of  6  9 patterns.
• Persons A1 and A2 will then pick one pattern to keep for themselves, then host their own give-away (you know, on the active blog that they have! Oh, it all comes together beautifully). They will randomly select a winner and post the remaining patterns to Persons B1 and B2.
• Persons B1 and B2 will pick a pattern for themselves and promptly host their own give-away and post the remaining patterns to the winner, Persons C1 and C2.
• Persons C1 and C2 will do the same and so on until there is a last pattern winner…you get the idea.

You can enter for either pyramid, or for both, just let me know in your comment which one(s) you are in for! And to make it interesting for me, let me know which pattern in your pyramid(s) of choice you think you would keep and what you would make from it.

You can specify which pyramid (A or B) you prefer, no guarantees though. 

A: 

B: 

Mom's Birthday Tote

It's my Mom's birthday (two days ago), so I made her a tote.

The patterned fabric was interfaced with the stiffest fusible stuff that I could find at Fabricland (back in the days when all I wanted to make were purses).

The construction was the fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants style where I made it up as I went along. My dad does the same thing when building decks or renovating bathrooms, so I come by it honestly.

The inside facing was an afterthought once I realized how I was going to attached the straps. I used LiEr's bag tutorial series as a reference.

I embroidered the label based on by blog banner, embellishing with a little bead. My mom is an artist who is really talented at this type of embroidery among here many other makery endeavours (I also come by this honestly). 

I only have one handed down embroidery hoop that is super large and also misplaced, so I improvised. 

It worked fine, but if I'm going to continue with this type of label, I should really find an actual loop. I'm sure the second hand store has a bin full. 

If I were to make another one of these, I would change the placement of the straps. I have them 2.5" from the outside edges, but I would move them in .5" to .75". 

Mom isn't really a "pink" person, but I couldn't find anything in turquoise that I liked. This raspberry is about the shade of lipstick she wears so I compromised.

As I was heading to the cutting table at the store, I passed by the lining section and found the most perfect match of taupe for the lining. I was informed by the woman working at the table that it even had some waterproof properties—even better for a bag lining.

I installed a zippered pocket on the inside as well with a zip I had in my stash. Installing this was definitely a sketchy moment as I didn't have any reference except a long-ago memory of sewing welt pockets on some pants a number of years ago and some tutorials I've looked at recently for bound button holes. Actually, now that I think of it, the tutorial I did a while back for an exposed zipper is similar in concept to this as well. 

Party's at 4:00!

Twice as Nice.

I've got two pattern reviews and two pattern pyramid giveaways today.

These are a couple of pieces that I've had in my wardrobe for a while. Here are my reviews:

Simplicity 2262: 

Misses' pullover fress or tunic, pull on pants and knit cardigan in two lengths. I made the long cardigan.

Size AA: XXS, XS, S, M. I made the small according to my measurements. Sizing was accurate

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes, exactly.

Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
SUPER easy to sew. Good addition to my wardrobe.

Fabric Used:
Olive coloured ponte knit.






Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:No alterations.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I would sew it again if I needed another one in my wardrobe. I'd choose a slightly thinner knit next time though. The weight of the ponte is a bit overwhelming. A thin sweater knit would be nice.

Conclusion
I've been able to fit this into my wardrobe quite easily and I've gotten some compliments when wearing it. I find it to be an easy wardrobe staple.

Butterick 5610:

MISSES' TOP: Very loose-fitting, pullover tops A, B, C, D. A, B: yoke extends to sleeves, front pleats and topstitch trim. B: contrast yoke and elasticized lower edge. C, D: neck band, extended shoulders and partially stitched front pleats. D: elasticized lower edge.

I made view A.

Size C5: (10, 12, 14, 16, 18) I made the size 10 everywhere except the back where I graded to the size 14 at the armpit instead of doing my usual broad upper back adjustment. It was an experiment that seemed to work out.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes

Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
Sewing the inside corners where the yoke attaches to the bottom half of the front is tricky, but it was good practice. I really like the way the sleeves are constructed so they are lined and don't need to be hemmed. When I sewed this, I had recently finished my Minoru jacket and recalled Tasia's sewalong (attaching the sleeve lining to the cuff) when figuring out this bit of construction.
Other reviewers didn't like the wide neckline. I agree that it's a bit shifty when it comes to covering bra straps, but I find the wide neckline to be flattering. What I don't find particularly flattering is the side view—those pleats don't really lend themselves to a great side-silhouette, so please keep in mind that if you attempt this one, I would recommend a VERY drapy fabric.

Fabric Used:
This was a muslin that, if everything worked out, would be wearable (I wasn't sure about my "broad upper back adjustment"). So I used a super cheap poly rayon (??) that was on the $2/metre wall at Fabricland. Turns out the same fabric was used to fashion a giant wiener on the head piece of one of the girls in the production of "The Producers" I was in last summer. Now it's all I can think of when I look at this (wiener) top.

I used a scrap piece of broadcloth for the inside facing. The weights of my fabrics didn't match very well, and it affected how my sleeves hung. I'm not sure if it was a good thing to have a more stable fabric on the inside or not. It seems to be fine. 

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: Just grading up two sizes at the underarm for increased mobility of arms. (broad upper back adjustment). It's been a while, but I think I recall that I had to even out the hem quite a bit—the fabric drooped quite a bit in the front where the pleats were. I only had room for a narrow/baby hem after I evened it out. This was to my advantage anyway because of the drape of my fabric. I will make a note to lengthen this about an inch in the future. I also bound the inside seams (another experiment) to make things neat. Serging would have accomplished the same thing and saved time.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
After I finished this one, I immediately went out and bought a beautiful piece of silk/cotton and then completely changed my mind when I got home. This is one of those makes where I needed to put it away for a while so I could forget about all of the little imperfections in my sewing. Now, I like it fine. It would be nice to try view C.

Conclusion
This top is as easy to wear as a t-shirt. I really should make another one in a beautiful fabric so I can wear it this summer. 

 

Now on to the good stuff

It was hard for me to pick what I wanted to keep from the pattern giveaway I recently won. the options were limited and picked-over, so I decided to do a little spring cleaning and shake things up a bit. I'm now offering TWO pattern pyramid give aways!! 

Pattern Pyramid A:

Pattern Pyramid B:

If you want, you can specify which pyramid (A or B) you prefer, no guarantees though. 

Here are the rules for entry in the giveaway:You must have an active blog.You must leave a comment and include your email.I will randomly select the lucky winners (2).I will then post off the patterns.
Anyone, anywhere can enter the giveaway by posting a comment below by midnight Central Standard Time on Sunday, April 14, 2013. 

Happy Sunday!

Um... Pardon me?

Every time we visit my mother in law, she gives me a little (or big) sewing/crafting gift that I am only too happy to take off her hands (she was a home-ec. teacher for many years). This trip, she did not disappoint!

What the hell is going on here? First off, her pants... and matching lace-up T... and does she know her pants don't actually have a pocket? She probably forgot and is now fishing out change for a Dr. Pepper at the vending machine. yikes.

And that's not the only gooder in this 49 cent wonder of 80's styling:

I actually think the purse is cute and the white hat is sort-of cool looking. Everything else is very typical crochet-ugly (in my opinion).

What else... oh yes... I WON A PATTERN PYRAMID!!!!
Thank you to Poldapop for the special addition of the fabric. It's very "me" as my sister would say, though I'm not always sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing. In this case, I'm going to say good thing. It's been slated for the Sewaholic Alma blouse, provided I can work out the fit.

I'm not sure what I'm going to keep. I have it narrowed down to these two:

The women's pattern is a size too small for me, but I'm sure I can grade it up and use the blouse/jacket adding a peplum to the bottom. The skirt may come in handy too. The men's pattern is interesting. It's one of those ones that has no markings on the tissue, just holes punched through. I may keep it just to study it a little. The shorts are neat. They include the swim-trunk man-panty lining.

There's a stack of patterns that I'd like to giveaway myself, so please stay tuned in the next week or so for a post about this pyramid as well as the start of my own pyramid giveaway.

Now on to my pattern review:

McCall's 6404

Close-fitting, casing with elastic.

XS to XL. I made the Small, view B, no contrasting fabric.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?yes

Were the instructions easy to follow? yes

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
The style lines are nice. There are a lot of options.

Fabric Used: Denim-look cotton/lycra knit

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
1. First off, my measurements should have dictated that I cut a Med., but after measuring a couple of pairs of work out shorts, I decided to make the small, and I'm glad I did. They would NOT have looked like the image if I had made the larger size.

2. I lowered the front rise by about an inch to 1.5".

3. I found I needed a "muscular-bum-adjustment" and followed the "full bum adjustment in "Fit for Real People", scooping out the seat curve a little (about 3/8") and adding 1/4" to the side seam of the back pieces only.

4. I found I had a little too much fabric in the front so I decreased by about 1/4" on both sides of the front pieces at crotch level grading out to nothing at the waist.

5. The back then needed to be raised significantly (can you say plumber-butt?). I added a yoke to the back to make up the difference (about 2") to get to my waist. It ended up wrapping around the side a little.

6. I didn't think I'd need to add a waist band because I wanted them to be low-rise like my rtw work out pants, but I still needed the width of the elastic band for them to be comfortable.

The length was perfect on me and all I had to do was hem them according to the directions.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Now that I have made my pattern adjustments I will most likely make these again.

Conclusion:
I know others had issues with fit for this one. I can only say that if you have a more muscular frame (ie: not skinny legs) you will probably have more luck with this one. Keep in mind that I also used a smaller size than I was supposed to.

Front:

Back: 

I'm sure there must be a way to get rid of the wrinkles under my bum. Thoughts anyone? Is there such a thing as a sway-ass?

Side: 

You can see here that the waist is now tilted down at the front a little, and where I added the yoke (and where the waist would have been if I hadn't added it).

The yoke wraps around the side seam to the front a bit. It's just how it worked out to get the waist where I wanted it.

Close up of the let inset at the corner.

The yoke at the back:

Inside seam finishing. I used navy thread in three of the spools on my serger and red in one.

Sewing Meetup!

I am a terrible procrastinator.

About three weeks back Tanitisis and I realized that we lived in the same city and arranged to meet up. I confess that I was just about as nervous as I was back in my Cupid.com days (yes, I did that). We met up at a coffee shop near my work in the more "artsy" district of town, and by district, I mean street—Saskatoon is not very big, but it does seem to have a little bit of everything.

We didn't even really talk sewing all that much, but we ended up having a lot in common, and I'm super pumped to have a sewing buddy in town. Even better, our meet up has drawn out another potential like-minded individual that lives in town and has a presence on PR. Jodi B (from PR), if you are reading this, I can't find you on PR, unless you are teasing me and actually live in Virginia.

Here we are according to my camera:

And here we are according to Tanitisis's

When searching PR I came across another blogger who looks like she may live in Toontown. http://butterfly-747.blogspot.ca/. I hope you don't mind that I've directed traffic at you (if you do, please leave a message and I'll remove the link).

Since my last post, I've seemed to come out of my sewing funk thanks in-part to Tanitisis, who also happens to work at Fabricland and mentioned in her last post that the stretch denim had gone on sale half price. I had spied some denim-look knit there a few weeks ago that I wanted to make into jeggings (really Erin, at your age? Didn't you wear stirrup pants once in your life? Isn't that enough?) Yes really. Now I have to make some appropriate tops that cover my ass so I don't feel naked when wearing them. There were some fit issues when I made them up that may be useful to others, so that will most likely be my next post.

I've also made a lot of other progress on my other projects:

1. knitted socks: finished. They are thick and warm, and fit my foot amazingly well.

2. knitted sweater: I finished all the pieces and then realized when trying to sew them together that I have to rip out the front and the back pieces to the start of the armpit shaping. Oh well, something to do while I watch tv.

3. Baby quilt: I'm almost done, and I'm pretty pleased with it. There are a few lot of mistakes in the quilting and it's not perfectly square (much to my mother's insistence that it needs to be to add the binding). I figure that at some point it will probably get pooped on so really people—I'm okay with the imperfection. This, coming from the girl who used to, as a child, wiggle my toes until they felt "even" every night when I went to bed. OCD much?

All safey-pinned up and ready for quilting:

Après quilting with binding attached (but not finished):

Showing the backside which reveals my horrendous quilting. Here's hoping that's the side that gets pooped on most frequently.

A close up of the binding: 

A close up of the cheater's version of a mitered corner.  

All I have left is hand sewing the binding down—yet another thing I can do when watching more television. 

And for all you haters of my fabric choice for the backing and the binding—I'm talking to you dear husband and sister who raised your eyebrows when you saw the plaid—you can suck it because I think it looks cute. 

One more thing. Being from Saskatchewan, I don't like to to point out our extreme weather, because I really hate to perpetuate stupid stereotypes like "Canadians all live in igloos" or "drive dogsleds to work". That being said, I have to share a few photos of our spring weather this year (specifically after the storm we had this week).

This is a girl I was in a show with who posted this pic on Facebook:  

To be clear, that's not actual snowfall, but a big-ass giant snow drift closer to the edge of town. But still... yeesh!

Apparently, this has happened before though:

WTF. Why does anyone live here? Oh yes. Because they are friggin' crazy: 

Trena, this picture is for you because I know that you bike—probably not with a skidoo helmet though. Ridiculous. 

Hopefully we don't get any more snow, although it can actually be very nice when it's sunny out (from our front window this morning):

Now I have to figure out how to take flattering pictures of myself in leggings that I will most likely regret posting to the internet. Happy Sunday!

Getting my knit-on etc.

Well, it's been a while. A lot has happened in the last month, so I'll provide a recap:

We went snow shoeing, skiing, started P90X, got sick, took a break from P90X, started knitting, stopped sewing, had a drastic change in diet, etc, etc, etc.

We have an exorbitant amount of snow this year, and I bought a groupon for a snowshoe rental. It was okay, but I like skiing better.

 
(snowshoeing at the local golf course)

I admit, I'm a little stuck in the sewing department. I made a couple of major fails and then another slightly disappointing piece that took the wind out of my sails. After my successful Jungle January blouse, I whipped off another Renfrew using a unique piece of knit I found at a second hand store that I was saving for B, but then selfishly reallocated to myself.

This goaround with the Renfrew, I was not as happy. It seems that the minor fitting issues that I could live with on the first make were magnified in this one. Namely, the biceps are tight, and I think I need to make the arm scythe larger too, not to mention a sloped shoulder adjustment. Now that I've washed it a couple of times, it feels better in the armpits, but something needs to be done if this is ever going to be a tnt for me. I was even thinking about going up a size to see what that feels like. I should probably also look into a sway-back alteration, but I just can't seem to give a crap about an angle I can't see.

My next sewing project was just barely started when we wend skiing, I got sick, and stopped being motivated to sew. It's a baby quilt for my friends in Calgary who are due in a couple of months. I used this Rough and Tumble pattern as my basis, but squared things up a bit to make construction easier and scaled everything down to the craft-size batting I had in my stash. I only have one of the coloured strips done, so it's not even worth showing you a progress shot, but here's the inspiration quilt:

http://www.modabakeshop.com/2011/12/rough-and-tumble-quilt.html

I also took a learn to knit class in January, and continued with a sock class at my local yarn shop. I was considering buying a much cheaper course from Craftsy, but honestly, getting out of the house, meeting new people and having two hours to myself only focussing on making something is worth the extra $. I am surprised how much i look forward to it every week. 

The Learn to Knit class sweater (children's size 4). It will go to my nephew. 

And the sock class socks in progress: 

I'm also currently working on an easy sweater pattern I purchased so long ago, I don't even remember when it was. I had completed the back but then unravelled it when I was cleaning up a few years ago for a move. 

I now have the front and the back done and just have the sleeves and assembly left. 

The slow pace of knitting used to frustrate me, but I like that I can do it while watching the many shows on tv that I keep up with but don't really care about. 

There are a tonne of sewing projects that are floating around in my head: finding/fitting a tnt button down shirt pattern, blazers, jeans, pants.... the list goes on. All are complicated and intimidating which is mostly why I'm procrastinating starting anything. 

Today I'm having my very first sewing meet-up (ever) with tanitisis. We just learned that we live in the same city and are going for coffee. Confession: I feel just as nervous as I did before a date back in my "cupid.com" days, but at least now I know that we have something in common!! It will be very nice to have someone in my age bracket that will understand sew-speak. It should be fun!

In conclusion, I hope to get my ass back in gear and sew some things soon!!