I’ve done a bunch of projects in the past three weeks that haven’t made it onto this blog, and I want to include them here for posterity because they have been fairly successful.
Pink Print Merino Knit Tank Top
I bought a metre of this fabric as an unidentified bolt-end from Fabricland back in February, on one of my “I’m only going to buy what I need for a project” shopping trips – you know the ones where you buy other things? Yeah! I recall it costing $8, and I am so incredibly glad I bought this. It turned out to be merino wool, and it was an absolute dream to work with.
I used my self-drafted bodice sloper for this and eyeballed the v-neck. It is fairly modest so it’s a good top for wearing to work, if I ever get to work in a real office again. I live-streamed myself making most of the top on Facebook Live which was my first experience doing a video and I really enjoyed it.
Leopard Print Top – Burda 6630
My mission was to make “luxurious loungewear” and I sketched a top and a pair of gaucho ponte pants. Alas, I never got around to the pants but this top turned out beautifully! I was not sold on the idea of the stretch lace shoulder blocking, but it was really easy to sew and it looks very nice.
I did a Full Bust Adjustment on this top. It was a new thing, to figure out how a FBA on a raglan sleeve works. This ended up adding a side bust dart but I am okay with that because this knit is quite stable and it really isn’t noticeable. This top fits nicely and aside from shortening the neckline binding next time, I will probably make it again the same way.
It was fun to use up these pieces of stash! The stretch lace is something I had kicking around from my Downtown Abbey dress last summer, and the leopard print was a purchase in September at Dressew, that I’d already used partially as the midriff for a print-blocked dress.
Sarong Pants
I did a Facebook Live video for how to make a pair of pants from a bedsheet, for any body, with very little sewing skill required. I ended up using more of the navy blue knit that I’ve been gradually going through for various pieces of loungewear and knit muslins. I don’t have a photo of this one, but it was a fun thing to make and I’ll probably make another video for YouTube demonstrating it, for people who aren’t connected to me on Facebook.
In a nutshell, the pattern is the same I used back in early January for these sarong pants. You basically draw a crotch curve (copied from any other pants) and then make a rectangle around them with the overall width being your waist + 12-18”. I’m not explaining this well… that’ll have to be another post, I think. Anyways, these are the ones I made to go to Mexico, but now I also have a pair that is gaucho length in navy blue cotton knit, and they are super comfy even though it’s a bit awkward to use the loo.
Tula Pink Quilt
Finally, I finished piecing the top and did the sandwich/quilting/binding for this lap quilt made out of Tula Pink layer cake (10.5” squares). I started this over the Christmas holidays but lost steam. I used a gorgeous purple plush binding that I picked up at last year’s Creativ [sic] Stitches trade show (eye-rolling at the spelling).
This now sits on my man-friend’s couch so I can snuggle with it when I go visit him. “It was a gift… for HIM. Yeah.”
That’s about all I can think of for now…
