Up late with Grainline Linden

I had my Linden ready and waiting to be made up all day yesterday. So what did I do? Started sewing at 11 pm - what else?

It mostly seemed to go well (apart from the missing wristbands and associated pattern piece - had I even cut them out?) and by 2 am I was finished, cutting some more wristbands in the process. There was one little error. When I join the neckband on the flat, as I did here, well.... join shouldn't be at the front - agreed?

And it was. As much as I tried to convince myself in my dreams that there was a quick fix there wasn't. I just can't wear it that way - it bothers me too much. So I began taking the overlocked/serged neckband off in the afternoon.

 Starting the tedious process of 'unserging'!

A bit later - going a lot faster now I've got the hang of it! 

All done - now to cut out a slightly wider neckband. Luckily I have enough fabric for it! 

Ta da!! Finished - baggy neck and all. 

This is my second Linden (first seen by me on Jane at The Drapery). The neck is loose fitting on both mine, but I don't mind it that way. I have also lengthened the body by 6 cm - I'm 5' 8" and need the extra length in most things. The Linden sleeves, however, are quite long enough - even for me! But that's how I want them.

Have you ever made anything with just a little error that you couldn't live with? Did you fix it or leave it and wear it or just put it in the corner to attend to later???

Fabric: used nearly 2m of Knitwit Dunedin Rugby knit, cream

For my first Linden (not posted): beautifully soft Japanese French terry in 'Lagoon' - 2m approximately - can't remember exactly how much. The material is 170cm wide so probably less than 2m. Jane and Fiona at The Drapery always try to make sure I have enough, but not too much!

 What a day with my Linden - might have a cuppa now!

This blog post has been written whilst repairs to garment were in progress. That's hard work!

Fun with Fiona (Style Arc that is)!

I'm planning a trip away soon and it includes a cruise with two formal evening meals. I'm not really into the formal wear at all - I just love comfy no fuss clothes. With this in mind I put together everything I had that was suitable for cruise evenings and found that I had everything except a Style Arc Fiona cardigan. 'Shrug' had come to mind, so looking through the Style Arc website I found exactly what I needed. A little longer than a shrug but not a big heavy cardigan.

I had been saving some Affinity wool jersey from Knitwit for something special. I had two lots of 1.8m - black and blue. I thought the black would be ideal. I practised on some polycotton (I can't remember the name) from Knitwit and it all went together perfectly. Fitted so well that I'm keeping that one (a plus) - even though it has polyester in it!

Hanging up over one of a few tiny pocket tanks (without the pocket).

I photographed the cutting layout to help me - it's a little bit light here but it might just be possible to see! 

It was hard to get the layout all in one. You can get the idea that with the sleeves and body in one it takes a lot of planning! 

Now to the cutting out of my black Fiona. Well let's just say that it didn't go perfectly at all. The material was so soft and floaty that it was difficult to cut out or keep on my granite cutting table (otherwise known as the kitchen bench/depository of all things useful). As I had made sure that all the pieces fit (it can be quite hard but it is possible) I cut out a pair of the collar pieces. Then somehow or other I discovered that the stretch on this fabric did not go selvedge to selvedge and I hadn't checked first. Lesson learned here - always, always always check. This meant rearranging the material and the pattern pieces. Quel horreur! The pair I had already cut out with stretch going the wrong way were useless to me and I didn't have room for another pair on my wool jersey.

This is where I decided to use the blue for that piece. I had no choice if I wanted the stretch the right way. Thinking about it now I suppose I could have used the pieces with the stretch going the wrong way - it might not have made much difference! Oh well - I ended up with a pair of blue collar pieces and a pair of black. Everything would be fine.

All the band pieces (collar and back) have to be joined together in two almost circles. Now Style Arc patterns don't give many instructions but this top has great coloured pictures - it was easy to follow - the first one I made proved that. But I sewed some pieces together the wrong way round and had to unpick on this soft, delicate fabric. In the end I thought to myself that it was ruined so I might as well just go ahead and finish it anyway. What did I have to lose?

It turns out nothing, because I'm quite pleased with my two Style Arc Fiona cardigans now.

Excuse the selfies - no choice for now!

And I have enough blue fabric for a three-quarter sleeved Deer and Doe plantain top - already cut out and waiting to be sewn. What do you think of the blue collar? Mr SLTS (who isn't very patient when taking photos of my clothes but I'm working on it) thought that it looked pretty good (high praise indeed because he hardly ever says anything about my sewing)! Thank you Knitwit and Style Arc!

Fabric choices and me

I have spent the last couple of weeks sewing with three massive fails - with expensive fabric

Have I learned anything from these?

 1. Measuring the paper pattern is not good enough - especially when it's pants and you forget that the waist has to fit over the hips. You can't put them on over your head like a skirt.

2. Some fabrics with wool content might be itchy to wear so it doesn't matter how good the fit, you can't wear it anyway.

3. Don't make an elastic gathered waist skirt with stiff material when you have a big waist - it really doesn't work. Wait until the right material comes along for the A-line skirt you were going to make.

4. Always do a toile/muslin with a zip - don't sew up the back thinking you can get away with no zip, causing you to think you need a much bigger top to the dress than you really do.

For me, all these disasters have been with woven materials - my good ones! I think I'm being given a sign that I should be sewing with knits - because I'm rubbish at fit.

I had a couple of successes too - they were in stretch ponte material with patterns I had already used and knew would fit. And ponte with a bit of stretch will probably fit anyway!

This is what my brain feels like - time to pack away my dining table sewing room and put everything back into the actual sewing room. I'm going to do it right now - just after I pin that Style Arc top together and ......... .