D- Blogger, A+ Progress on SSS

I don’t know about you, but I love an A+. If I make something yummy or clean the house really well or do just about anything, I’ll ask my husband coyly, “A+?” 🙂 Of course he’ll oblige. If, however I had to grade my blogging overall, I might give myself a D-. It’s not an F because once in a while I’ll get to it, but it’s so rare, I fear it’s ineffective. Part of the problem is I feel if I have no pictures to show you, it’s not going to be done “right” so if I can’t do it correctly, I just don’t do it. Well, I’ve just decided to do it “incorrectly” today. I have some pictures but not the ones I want. However, I’ll set aside the Type A personality for a moment and report something anyway. haha.

Also –  This prompts me to tell you that if you are on Facebook, I am much more frequently updating the JaimeSews page there as it takes just a few seconds .  You can find my page by clicking here.

Self Stitched September Sewing is going well. I have kept up a good pace and I think you’ll be surprised at how much I’ve finished (unless you’re on facebook, you may already know some of this!). First of all, about three weeks ago I finished the Purple Stripe Lydia.  If you remember I had ordered the purple stripe fabric online thinking that because it said “jersey”, that it would be fluid and soft.  Instead it was thicker and stiff so I had to change the pattern I would use with it. I went with Lydia thinking I could customize it as desired, but also unsure of what other patterns might work with such a stiff “jersey”.  I think I had the Riviera shirt from Hot Patterns in mind because I envisioned an elbow length sailor-like top. I’m not sure I accomplished it – it’s a little baggier than I wanted and, though I cut the neck a little wider, I should have gone more boat neck. BUT, it’s not a loss – it’s a comfy shirt and I’m thinking should another little one come along someday, it would be a great early pregnancy shirt. Here are some dress form pictures of it and one of me and my son at a birthday party, to which I wore my Lydia (he’s mid-bite of food :)).

I have also finished the Bird Jacket since I last posted (I think I posted it before, but without the button)! I LOVE this pattern, I think the cut is very cute and the sleeve is my favorite.  Underneath I’m planning to sport my Sunny Day Sadie, which was made specifically with this jacket in mind to pair with it. I know it’s a little quirky, but with jeans I think it works (I will work on getting a photo of the whole look)…and no one else has one like it, right?

Now on to one of my favorite projects so far…The Badgley Mischka Jacket!

I’m really thrilled with the fabric I found and how wonderfully it turned out. I was also surprised at how quickly it went together, especially with all the detail.

It just took two nap-time sewing sessions over a weekend and a fun sewing night with my friend Kara to complete the hand sewing and it was done! Let me just interject here that if you have lots of hand sewing to do, having a friend around is definitely the way to do it! I just need to add this really cool basket weave button i found and some elastic cord as a closure.

Then I found some nice brown rayon challis on sale at Hancock Fabrics & made it into a camisole to wear underneath. I wanted a bias cut, double layer cami with the inside layer slightly longer than the top layer for some frill.

I LOVE how it turned out, but I’m not sure it goes well with the jacket – too much volume and not enough definition. It’s okay, though. I was recently in L.A. and visited The Cotton Shop where I found a really nice brown knit to make that camisole for under the brown floral dress I posted Waaaaaaaaaay back when I first started talking about SSS. I think that will work with the Jacket as well and I can wear the rayon challis top with a white knit cropped cardigan I also recently made…or the denim button up puff sleeve top I plan to make soon. 🙂

I have also finished this Wrap Top from Megan Nielson. I cannot express to you how quickly this went together after cutting out. There are literally 4 seams (2 shoulder, 2 side seams) and you’re DONE! Though the pattern doesn’t call for it, because it isn’t particularly necessary, I got some matching thread to do a rolled hem all the way around just to give it a more finished look. I would not recommend this, as it made the stretchy fabric, not so stretchy on the edges and made it more difficult to wrap all around me. But this is absolutely gorgeous and don’t be fooled…just because it says “Maternity” does not mean it’s exclusively maternity. I, a non pregnant person, find it to be a beautiful choice for me too! (sorry about the atrocious picture!)

Next on the sewing block was a white knit cardigan. I intended to alter the sleeve to be a puff sleeve based on this tutorial on Burdastyle.com, but when I opened my pattern (Simplicity 9264), I realized I must have used the sleeve pattern for something else because it was MISSING! So I ended up using the tutorial to draft my own sleeve, but when I got it sewn in, there was no “puff”. This is the make it work sweater for sure because the first “finished” version of  it was cropped with ribbing on the sleeve hem and hem-hem. This was awful because I used scrap ribbing and didn’t have the appropriate width needed  to put it on the hem-hem. So I finished it up, but later decided to cut off the bottom ribbing and simply hem it up with a coverstitch on my serger. This was all well and good, but there was something funny about the hem still. I didn’t like how it came to such an abrupt point/90 degree angle. I called it “done” again, but a few days later I was at the library when I saw a gal wearing a little white shrug that curved from the neckline down to the hem. Duh! That’s what i needed to do! So I unhemmed the front from the middle down and then the hem from the side seam to the center front, laid it on my rotary cutting mat and cut a curve in it. Reinstall the coverstitch hem and VOILA! Finally the sweater I was after in the first place. 🙂 It’s in the wash right now since it’s been so worked over so I’ll have to show it to you another time…

Another find from The Cotton Shop was this fun striped knit I made up in a free pattern posted on Burdastyle.com, the Kimono Tee. I might play with the neckline next time, but it’s very comfy, easy to wear and nice for the hot days we’re having lately…

Currently I’m working on the dress I plan to wear to a friend’s September wedding. It is a burdastyle pattern, 7829. Here is a picture on the pattern envelope:

I made a muslin of the top and I am in awe of how wonderfully it fits without ANY alteration!!! I will just have to take in the sides slightly to get the perfect fit, but no flat pattern alteration whatsoever. I really do love Burda patterns for that reason. Here is my progress so far.

And I just got the piping yesterday so I can move forward on it very soon!

Cut out, but not yet sewn is another skirt made from the same pattern as my flared denim skirt, but in a soft suiting fabric, heather brown. Additionally, I have three knit camisoles, 2 cut from $2 over-sized t-shirts I got at a local drugstore, waiting to be made and plans for much, much more. I need some advice and pattern recommendations, but I don’t want to overdo it in this post, so I’ll leave that for the net time. So far I love sewing for SSS and still feel like I’m making good progress – a little over a month to go!!