WIP Wednesday: SO DONE

Tags

cats, Pooh, quilting, sewing, Simplicity 8052, WIP Wednesday

We are having a sleepy, drizzly day here.

WIP = Work in Progress

I really should find a better name for these mid-week posts, considering how often they get written on a non-Wednesday. 

I got home from jury duty on Wednesday afternoon (did NOT get seated on the jury, thank goodness), had lunch, and tried to remember what it was I was supposed to be doing at that moment.  OH RIGHT, I’m supposed to be writing a blog post.  But I don’t have anything to show for the week!  I’ve been working away, slowly, on my quilt blocks, but that blouse still isn’t finished.  I’d better get moving!

So I got to work finishing this up:

You’ll recall this blouse was almost done, but needed to be taken in a bit.  I brought the side seams in 2″ on each side, and shortened it 2″ in the front and 3″ at the back.  I’m still undecided on whether I took it in enough, though.  And it’s a little longer than I usually go with tops, but I like that it’s long enough to wear over leggings.

Still lots of room in there.  Can’t decide if that extra fabric is comfy or annoying.

Pooh helpfully points out that my version is probably LESS roomy than the one on the pattern envelope.

I think I’ll have to live with the blouse a while before I decide.  One consideration is that I might want to wear a layer under it as fall moves into winter and it gets chilly here.

In the meantime, it’s very comfy to wear and the neckline isn’t too wide or too low, a perpetual problem for me.  And I’m loving all the rich colors in this!  I have the distinct impression my partner doesn’t like it–most of what I make is too colorful for him–but that’s okay, as it’s for ME.  🙂

Also, my 6-strip black and white units for the quilt are coming together.  I’m fairly busy right now, but I’m trying to work on them a little every day.

I am loving them!  So many cool fabrics in there . . . .

Still a bunch more to go.  Then they’ll all need squaring up and cutting in half (podcasts definitely required for that step).  I think I’ll starch them to add some stability to the triangles I wind up with.

Also up next is cutting out my Vogue 8954.  Forest green mystery knit!  Should be an interesting project and GREEN, too!

STH

 

WIP Wednesday: The Bright and the Boring

Tags

Butterick 6218, quilting, sewing, WIP Wednesday

WIP = Work in Progress

Well, it’s been a pretty difficult couple of weeks here.  I’ve put myself on a news diet again, as the constant stream of awful has made it hard to function.  And lots of pressures and stressors are happening all at once over here . . . ugh.  I’ll get it all handled, but things are going to be difficult and scary for a while until I do.

So let’s talk about sewing, just for a minute, and forget about all that other junk.

I spent most of last weekend working on my quilt blocks.  I’m chain-piecing the black and white strips like mad, and I’ve also put together the blue and orange blocks.

I am seriously in love with those orange blocks!

This kind of pretty mindless piecing is sort of, I don’t know, pleasantly boring?  Relaxingly tedious?  If you’re in the right frame of mind and ready to settle into the rhythm of it, it’s kind of peaceful and soothing.  If you’re thinking about how long the whole process is taking, it will drive you bananas.  I find it a bit more boring than something like embroidery, so I think I need to find some podcasts or something to listen to while I do it . . . or maybe just resist the urge to marathon it and get my butt out of the chair once in a while.

I was a little discouraged after I cut all the pieces for the colored blocks and realized my scrap piles didn’t seem to be any smaller.  But then I realized that this is the perfect project for a pieced backing–that ought to make a dent!

Also!

And the back!

You can’t really tell in the pictures, but this has a back vent (like a skirt), plus side vents, so plenty of room to move.

I did finally get this top done, but it gave me a little trouble on the trip there.

As I mentioned before, cutting this was complicated, as two of my fabrics were knit in a tube so they didn’t have a selvage, and two of them are directional.  To get the spaceships going up and down, I cut the front piece crosswise.  To get the back yellow piece out of the small cut of fabric I had, that was done crosswise, too.  I was able to get away with all this fudging, though, as my fabrics are pretty stretchy both ways.

The first time I put the neckband on the top, I thought the neck looked a little small so I tried it on.  It was so small that I had a hard time getting it over my head.  I debated for a while with myself as to how much to cut it down, but in the end I decided to be conservative about it and just cut the band seam off.  I lengthened the band a little bit (yes, I was THAT precise about it), put it on, and the neck now is just right.

The other issue was that the sleeves were very tight at the forearm, especially the yellow sleeve.  I unpicked both sleeve seams and re-sewed right at the edge of the fabric–perfect!

The only other change I made was to leave the pleat on the front open, rather than sewing it down.

And now a question for you, oh wise sewing folk:  what the heck is happening with the wrinkles on my upper arms?

I also wonder how I get my photos to list like this–but only occasionally!–when my camera is on a tripod.

This isn’t a function of me changing the sleeve seam allowance, as it was this way before I tinkered with it.  It’s not a result of pushing the sleeves up, either.  I know the wrinkles are supposed to point to the problem, but I’m not finding that knowledge to be terribly helpful here.  Any ideas you may have would be very welcome.

In the meantime, though, I’m just going to enjoy my new top.  I wore it today and it was so comfy and cheerfully bright!  I was worried that it would be too much and I’d feel self-conscious in it, but it just felt right to me.  I can’t tell if I’ve changed or if I just got the right combination this time.  The combo of the larger print with two coordinating solids always works really well in quilts, so why not here?

Have a great week, folks, and be sure to save some kindness for your lovely selves.

STH