I saw it in the window

and just couldn't resist(*).

Recently I spotted some linen curtains at a consignment shop. They are a color I like and I knew I'd have fun cutting them up to make clothes. And I have - Quincy pants, Stafford jacket (as a vest), and MixIt top. These are all patterns from the Sewing Workshop, of course.

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First I made the Quincy pants and added a fun detail to the hems. We were on our way to Havana where the weather was just right for linen pants. I am still playing with the hem detail, trying to get the length just right. These are elastic-waist pants with a narrow leg that I like a lot.

The Stafford jacket is the latest pattern published by the Sewing Workshop. There is a sew-along underway on Facebook right now. Over the years, I have always enjoyed making Sewing Workshop patterns. The details are interesting and the instructions are just right. This was no exception. I hesitated a half-minute because it is quite a boxy looking jacket. And the sleeves seem a bit wide and are right at elbow length. This elbow length sleeve is also found in their previous release, the Frankie. I knew from the Frankie I would prefer longer sleeves, or in this case, no sleeves at all.

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I finished the armholes with self-bias binding.

I used a 30 weight Coats and Clark cotton-covered poly for my top-stitching. My machine was not in love with that thread, but it worked.

You can just barely see the collar band in the picture above. The collar band and collar are different from any I've made. The collar band gradually tapers to nothing as it approaches the shoulder line.

I really like those faux chest pockets, as well as the real in seam pockets.

Flaps on the faux chest pockets. Fun detail: buttons that were a little party favor when I attended Sew Kansas. You cannot read it but it reads Sewing Workshop around the outer circle.

The Stafford has no side seam so the in-seam pockets sit slightly forward. I appreciate this because I find it awkward to reach back to the side seam for the pocket.

One easy change was to lengthen the Stafford by 8 inches. I think I'll wear it more than I would a short jacket. I know that the current style calls for layers showing near the hips, but I don't think it does me any favors. It is cute on the models at the Sewing Workshop though!

I made one additional change to the Stafford. The yoke attaches to the back with a small group of gathers at center back. Instead of gathers, I created an inverted pleat. The Stafford is chocked full of top-stitching opportunities and so I added some to the back pleat too.

Next I made my favorite version of the MixIt top out of the remaining linen fabric. I like to make a facing that is part of the design. Instead of flipping to the inside, it flips to the outside and is top-stitched.

This was quick and easy but I know I'll use it as a layering piece. I do not anticipate wearing any of these three garments together (aren't you relieved!?!) but I'm hoping they will fill holes in my wardrobe. Solid colored linen is great for that.

*You may recognize this line from Carol Burnett's classic sketch Went With The Wind. If you haven't seen it in a while, I recommend it for some good laughs.

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Jeans Vest

This project was inspired by a recent article in Threads magazine - Jeans to Jacket by Mary Ray (July 2017 Number 191. I love almost everything that Mary designs. And I've been wanting to play with the Tabula Rasa jacket pattern again. Also I found a pair of DH's jeans in the trash. He thought they were too worn to even give to charity. But they were just right for a remake.

First I took the jeans apart, as much as I could. DH helped me remove the rivets. As mentioned in a previous post, this created fabric with all sorts of interesting resist patterns from the years (and years and years) of wear. I took one belt loop apart but tossed the rest. I kind of wish I had kept those too. They would have made such interesting closures for the front. I used the one on the back:

Stitching added to one shoulder area where the knee was extra worn.

Because of the fairly narrow pattern pieces in the Tabula Rasa, I was able to cut most parts with a minimum of piecing. Of course, I wanted some piecing to show the interesting patterns. But, I was unable to cut out the sleeves from this one pair of jeans.

I purchased another pair of cotton jeans from the thrift store and tested the sleeves but they were so much heavier than the other denim that I had to remove them. I'm glad I did.

I'm guessing that even thrift stores don't want jeans as well worn as DH's. After removing the sleeves, I rearranged some pieces and did the finishing work. I cut a front band facing from a light weight denim remnant in stash. I cut bias binding from a piece of cotton shirting and used that for some of the seam finishing, as well as the hem. I added the small ticket pocket to the front at the chest level. It is the only functioning pocket. So far.

This vest is surprisingly light weight but obviously there are a number of worn places. These are great opportunities for boro stitch, patch and sashiko. So that's next.

I am particularly fond of the Lee leather patch. That must be used somewhere. And I have just discovered another pair of pants that really need to be recycled, don't you think? But I do not have permission. Yet.

This was a fun project and, as usual, I learned some things. Denim is not so easy to sew, but it's easier when it's old. It's surprisingly easy to disassemble with a good seam ripper. And I think I will actually wear this. It will be another work-in-progress that can be worn in the meantime.

This worked out just like those stash-busting contests. I have more jeans parts now than I did at the beginning.

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Peony remake

Sometimes I make something and it just hangs out in my closet. I reach for it, put it on, and then return it to the hanger. This version of the Peony was one of those. I decided that the problem was that it was too flimsy.

So I took it apart in order to insert a middle layer of cotton batiste. I had hand understitched it around every.single.edge and those had to be removed one stitch at a time. And I had added some sashiko, so that had to be taken out too. Lastly, my comfy 5/8 seam allowance was gone.

Several times I considered tossing it. But I just love a good linen. And this is one of those linens. It is lined with a pretty Marcia Derse cotton print in the front and cotton/silk solid rust in the back.

So I kept at it. I left the shoulder seams in the face fabric, as well as the lining. Using the original pattern, I cut each main piece from the batiste and attached it to the face fabric using Jude Hill's invisible or glue stitch. I find that stitch so handy. Thanks, Jude!

Above you cannot really see the glue stitch, but below you can see the long stitches on the batiste that holds it all together. It really functions like a single piece of cloth with this stitch. And I find it easy to remove here and there, as needed.

I returned to the Peony written instructions, having forgotten that it has a bagged lining, cleverly pulled through the side vents. That was great fun to execute.

To make it a little different, I added an un-square pocket and a button closure, as well as my beloved sashiko.

It feels almost like a new garment.

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Simple Zen Vest

Yet another piece from my current favorite pattern, the Now and Zen from the Sewing Workshop:

Fabric: a remnant I purchased at Gail K, 1 3/8 yd (60 w) for $17. It is a wonderful medium weight wool - soft to the touch, easy to sew, even nice next to my neck, and a beautiful rich navy blue. It's so dark that it does not photograph well.

Changes I made:

• omitted sleeves and used silk dupioni to bind the raw edges.
• added patch pockets on lower fronts.
• stitched to back pleat together for about an inch at the waist line.
• reshaped the front facing so that it does not fold twice; rather it folds once, creating a wider front facing.

This was a fairly easy make as it is unlined. I did hand-finish the raw edges on all the seams but otherwise it came together quickly. 

Things I like a lot:

• the back pleat
• the collar that can be worn folded back or up to keep my neck warm
• the overall simplicity of it
• the color and weight of the fine wool

Now I'm trying to decide if it needs buttons. I don't think I'd really button it but maybe that would give it a little more pizzazz. It's plain but I like that it will go with so many things I wear.

This is a fun collar. It is a tube with the ends (at the front) open. I suppose you could slip a scarf through it. The raw edges of the collar are easily tucked away with the top-stitching. You can just barely see the top-stitching above.

I thought about using the collar from the Now shirt. It is a double collar where the inside collar is more narrow than the outside collar. But it does lead to 4 layers of collar - too much for this wool. Overall, I call this a success!

Hope your sewing is going smoothly in January.

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Peony Done

This peony vest is complete, more or less. It is the one I started with remnants from my nice basic boring gray linen pants completed at Sew Kansas.

It may be just a little snake-bit, given the goofs I made in its construction. Luckily the hand-stitch was pure relaxation. I mostly followed the geometric shapes of the Marcia Derse print I used for the front lining and back facing.

It is barely noticeable.

I almost had a suit of sorts - pants and matching vest. I say almost because I managed to plant some bleach on the front of the pants before completing the vest. So now I'm considering creative coverage of that goof.

It's not a big deal, of course. I have so many other pairs of pants that will go with this vest and I probably would feel a bit nerdy wearing it as a suit. And I may like the new version of these basic pants more anyway.

A sewing buddy suggested I just wear these pants as is. Each time I'm with other people, I can exclaim, "oops. I must've spilled something here." I won't but it's tempting.

Now considering various options - grey fabric marker, oddly place pocket, boro treatment. Lots of good options really.

The Peony is a pretty flower too.

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Peony in Progress

This is maybe my fourth version of the Sewing Workshop's Peony vest. Evidently I made a linen one when it first came out but I can find no evidence of that. Next I made it in a faux shearling that I purchased from the now-defunct Waechter's Fabrics in Asheville NC. It was fun to make but I never wore it. More recently I made one in denim and began to add sead-stitching to it. This one I enjoy wearing.

The Peony vest is one of my favorite patterns. It has good bones.

This one is from linen. The back is lined with a remnant of silk-cotton radiance. The front is lined with a cotton print designed by Marcia Derse. I love, love, love her designs. It looks like silk to me.

It is now finally ready for some hand-stitch. Finally.

It should have been an easy make. It has 3 pieces really - the back, the left front, and the right front. So I began to make mistakes right away. I do not think I have ever unsewed such a simple garment so many times.

And let me just give a shout-out to BSF Ginny who tried hard to preach the merits of understitching by hand at a recent meeting of City-Wide Couture. I was glad I did that. It would have been much more challenging to unsew machine stitched understitching. Yes, I got that far before making the final blooper.

Of course, the big reason to hand-sew the understitching is that you gain control over the shaping and there is no unintended shaping. Oh, and it's pretty.

Now I will enjoy much hand-stitched embellishment. It is fun just to think about the possibilities.

So what is simmering in your sewing world?

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