WIP Wednesday: All the Colors (Plus Black)

Tags

cats, clothing, Ellie and Mac Memphis Top, Fab Scrap, Mt. Vernon, Pooh, sewing, Shelby, travel, Tulip Festival, Tulip Town, WIP Wednesday, Zero Waste Daniel

Tulip Town in Mt. Vernon, WA.

WIP = Work in Progress

Hello again!

Inconsistent posting continues, but I hope you’ll bear with me while I work through the stressful and busy phase I’m currently in.  Sewing has been very sporadic, but I’m hoping the next few weeks will be a little more settled and I can get back to making things, as I miss it!

In the meantime, I have a few pretty pictures to share with you, such as that beauty at the top, from the Tulip Festival up north in Washington’s Skagit Valley.  My honey and I signed up to go on a trip up there that was being organized by his workplace.  I’ve always wanted to go, but the 5-hour drive and other logistical issues had held me back, so I jumped at the chance to take a tour where all the stressful stuff was taken care of for us.

This is Tulip Town, up in Mt. Vernon.  They have some displays there that have to do with all the countries that tulips come from, and some stalls where you can order your bulbs or have your face painted, but the main attraction is this one big, square field with rows and rows of tulips.  You and a mass of people wander around in the mud and take pictures to post on Instagram, while employees hover and make sure you aren’t stomping the flowers.

Am I making it sound a little weird?  Because it kind of is.  Everybody takes pictures like the ones above, while the actual experience of being there is more like this:

I have a lot of conflicting feelings about Instagram (and other social media) and how they’re used to show the world one’s perfect, glossy, gorgeously curated life–and monetize it!–while filtering out all the messy, complicated bits.  Maybe I should rebel and institute a policy of only posting pictures on social media of cooking failures, messy makeup, and my kitchen with its sink full of dirty dishes . . . 😉

Despite my complaints, we did have a lovely time, and got to have a fantastic dinner of fresh, local halibut with my buddy Heidi while we were up north.

Anyway, back home, I finally did finish and hem my Memphis Top.  I’ve been wearing it most days since then, so I’m calling it a win.  It’s so comfy, and so cute, that I love wearing it, even if it might make me look a little bit pregnant.

Not ready for Instagram.

I wound up taking 3 inches off the hem, and I think it’s about the perfect length now, though I have found it to be a bit aerodynamic when the wind blows!  That fun, full skirt does fly around with just a little bit of wind, which we tend to have a lot of here in the spring.  Note to self:  maybe find something else to wear when we have those 25 mph days.

The other big news is the little treat I got myself the other day as a reward for being brave (that kind of makes it sound like I was wrestling bears or something, but when you have anxiety, “being brave” can look a lot like doing normal grown-up stuff).  I heard about a company called Fab Scrap recently (I think on Facebook?) that resells fabric remnants generated by the New York garment industry.  I was sorely tempted by the prospect of unique, high-quality fabrics packaged in grab bags, but the shipping costs all the way across the country made me hold off and wait for a sale.  Which finally happened a few weeks ago.

I got myself a dark yard pack–5 pieces of at least 1 yard each–and a black scrap pack.  (Yeah, I seem to be going through a black phase right now.)  Here’s the yard pack, accompanied by a nice note:

The photo shoot didn’t last long before things got a little out of hand —

But here they are:

The two on the left are ponte (or something similar), and the one in the middle is a pretty standard synthetic lining, but I think the two on the right are probably silk.  The black on the far right is particularly nice–it’s one of those sandwashed silks that were popular during the early ’90s, and it has a beautiful drape and weight to it.

And here’s the scrap pack, which is comprised of mostly knits:

I got the scrap pack because I saw this video a while ago, and it’s been at the back of my mind ever since.

The tops I love in this video are the monochromatic ones–the white one that she’s wearing, and the gray one he hangs up–and I’m a little bit obsessed with the idea of combining different fabrics with the same colors but different textures.  So I’ve now got the scrap pack and a few other remnants I’ve picked up, and I’m going to have to try this idea soon!

Have a wonderful week, and I hope you’re finding crafty inspiration all around you.

STH

 

 

 

 

 

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WIP Wednesday: Spring Silliness

Tags

clothing, Ellie and Mac Memphis Top, mending, sewing, WIP Wednesday

WIP = Work in Progress

Happy Wednesday!

I know what you were thinking–poor old STH disappeared into a pile of mending and was never heard from again!  Well, it’s not quite that bad, but I just haven’t been sewing much, as I’ve been busy with other things.

I did make a start on the mending, but, predictably, got lured away by a fun spring-y knit fabric calling to me from the knit bin (that’s what I get for organizing my knits).  As I’ve written about before, my generally careful and cautious self tends to make not-very-sensible sewing decisions in the springtime, so it was probably inevitable that the bees-and-flowers top would happen.

And this is the pattern I chose.

Ellie and Mac Memphis Top Pattern

 

Potential cons associated with this project:

1.  I’ve never used a pattern from this company before, and I can’t find a single review of this pattern anywhere.  There are no finished measurements on the pattern, so sizing is going to be an issue.

2.  The pattern calls for a drapey knit with 50% stretch; what I have is a not-drapey cotton/poly jersey with about 25% stretch (I got it at a $2/lb. fabric sale at SCRAP).

3.  The last time I wore a “babydoll” style top was when I was 16, and the cashier at Safeway asked me when I was due.  In a lifetime of social awkwardness, this was definitely an awkward peak moment.

 

Pros of this project:

1.  The fabric has bees on it.

2.  It isn’t black, and I’ve been wearing mostly black for the past month.

3.  The pattern is more or less completely different from what I usually make or wear.

4.  I want to make it.

 

So, yeah, inevitable.

My measurements put me at a size 2X, but I was worried about having enough ease in the fitted top, so I measured the pattern pieces.  I decided to cut a 3X for the top part, a 2X for the ruffled bottom.  I partially sewed the top section, tried it on, and decided to lower the neckline about 1/2″; once I was happy with the top part, I cut the lining to match.

Glamorous sewing room selfie.

My initial reaction was “bleh,” but now I’m not sure.

Here’s a version with about 4″ of hem pinned up.

I think I’m going to like it!

This version may be a little bit short; I think I’ll try it with 3″ pinned up and see how it goes.  I need to find that magic length that’s “flowy” without looking like hand-me-downs from a taller person.  I was considering ripping out the gathering in the front and replacing it with tucks, but the look of the gathering is kind of growing on me.  This jersey is very thin, so the gathers aren’t too bulky, and hopefully don’t make me look like I’m expecting.  And it feels lovely to wear!

I’ll get this finished soon, then I really need to get back to the mending pile.  I started with 16 items to fix (SOB), and I’ve still got 10 to go.  One item, a purchased fleece jacket with a troublesome zipper, went into the Goodwill box, as I didn’t think I could rip out that zipper without destroying the fabric.  Another one, a pair of knit wool gloves, had a big hole where the thumb meets the hand, and there was no way a darning job would hold for long at that stress point.

Here’s one I did finish, though.

I’ve had this jacket for years, and wanted to replace the buttons for the longest time.  I recently got some new buttons (sale at Joann’s), and put them on.

New buttons on the top, old on the bottom.

I’m not in love with these new buttons, but at least they’re interesting, and reduce the “Montana cattle rancher” vibe of the jacket.  I may have only managed to get to “funky Montana cattle rancher,” but that’s an improvement, anyway.

You know, I was feeling like I hadn’t had any sewing success in the past few weeks, but I guess maybe I have!

I hope you’re having some successes with whatever it is you’re trying to do.  Have a wonderful week, everybody!

STH