Happy 2022! Roscoe Blouse and Tunic

 Welcome 2022! 

Well, I made it through another year of craziness and pandemic and changes and well, just life! On top of that I feel good about it. Feel good about the place I am in physically and mentally even though things can be hard, they are also quite wonderful.

I did not do so great at blogging in 2021. I wanted to, I really did but life was just so big last year with so many things that I needed to attend to and blogging got put to the side. A decision that I was totally okay with. 

I did continue to sew and shared quite a few of my garments and creations on IG. As 2021 was coming to a close I realized that I was starting to miss blogging, a good sign that it was time to start thinking about picking it up again.

And here I am! Once again rambling on and on. 

I ended 2021 with a Roscoe Blouse and started 2022 with a Roscoe Tunic.  I have had the True Bias Roscoe on my wish list for quite a while and finally bought the PDF version and had it printed large format sometime during the past 6 months (timelines in the pandemic are just a bit fuzzy) 

Years and years ago I had a super cute peasant blouse and I always wanted to recreate the look. I just either never got around to it and every time I tried one on in RTW it was just a hot mess. Too much fabric in the wrong places, not enough in the right places and never in the colors or prints that I liked. So, this year I finally got back to it and I am happy that I did!

I used my iPad and my body model croquis  to do some sketching. I like this part of the creative process. I use the procreate app and use it at its most basic level. One of these days I will learn more about it. I’m sure there are tools in there that will make my life easier. 

For the first version, the blouse, I cut the size according to the pattern recommendations which put me at a size 12. I made a muslin using some recycled old garments. I am glad I did because there was way, way too much fabric at the front raglan sleeve seam. It was a bit shapeless. I released this seam and let the “extra” fabric from the upper front chest slide under the sleeve seam and reshaped this seam. An easy fix to do and made a big difference. 

The fabric used for this first version was purchased from a New Rainbow Fabrics that is local to me in Chicago. So local that it is just an easy 1 mile walk! I really liked this print. It is a little bit out of my normal palette with the pastel parts. Plus it was a stretch polyester chiffon, so really out of my normal fabric choice. But, something about it just grabbed me and at $9.99 a yard I figured I could take a chance. Boy am I glad I did!! This is NOT like some other polys I have used in the last from the big box stores. It cut sewed and pressed like a dream. I was so dang surprised! 

With this version done I decided to immediately move to another version with a couple changes. 

The size 12 I cut for the blouse is quite roomy and if I was going to make a tunic I didn’t want that much extra fabric. This time I cut it down to the smallest size plus maintained the seam shape of the front raglan sleeve. I was still worried about feeling overwhelmed by too much fabric. I had seen on some IG pictures and other blogs where people added waist elastic to give it more shape so I sketched this out and marked the waist on the pattern.

In addition I wanted the sleeves to be full length, a little fuller and elasticize at the wrist. For this I lengthened 3 1/2 inches then slashed and spread in 4 places adding in a total of 4 additional inches. 

I thought this was not exactly the look I was going for but it would be a good save if the tunic was still too voluminous and needing shape. So I cut into my fabric, a rayon print from Closet Core Fabrics in a graphic 60’s vintage print. I knew from using this fabric before, in a different colorway, that I had to cut it single layer. A very squirrelly fabric! 

As you can see in the above photos, changing to the smallest size worked out great!! No need for elastic at the waist, no feeling like I am wearing a sack! This Tunic made me happy and the colors were great. I immediately went to my fabric closet and found the perfect color knit for leggings and sewed up a pair of Helen’s Closet Avery Leggings. Sorry only bad mirror selfies!! 

Now I am very happy with this outfit!!!

For a special treat to myself I purchased the Kylie and the Machine advent calendar. it was a blast to open every morning. I used some of my new labels in these tops.

A perfect sewing end of 2021 and start to 2022! What’s next? Well, I have a list, a looong list,  that I want  to work off of that I am calling my Green wardrobe plus sewing a wardrobe for a fall trip to Morocco plus anything else that takes my fancy in between! I want to work on some harder more detailed projects interspersed with some easier ones. 

I am fully enjoying my sewing and designing again and ready to share it again.

Happy Sewing!

Princess Victoria showing off her Grinch apron made with lots of love!!

A Birthday Suki Robe! or two...

 My mom had her birthday over the summer and I wanted to make her something nice! So I looked through my patterns and decided on a summer robe. Everyone needs a nice robe J and I know that my mom has a winter robe and thought it would be lovely to have a nice summer robe to relax in on a lazy Summer Sunday morning.

 

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!

I have been wanting to make the Suki Robe for a long time. In fact, I was so excited about this pattern that I mistakenly purchased it twice! Oops! When I went through my fabric collection to pick out a fabric to make for her I settled on the 2 combinations that you see here. The floral print and the tiger print. Both lovely fabrics with very different feels to the fabric and very different, but fun, vibes. Decision paralysis hit! For the life of me I could not decide which one to make for my mom. So, I did what any good sewist would do and made them BOTH!! I figured that I really wanted one and liked both combinations equally so one for me and one for mom! The decision could be made later as to who got which one. Luckily I could make the same size for both since there is not a huge amount of difference between us and it is after all just a robe, very forgiving in the fit department.

As I was making them I literally would go back and forth with which one would be for mom. In the end I waited until they were both completed and then had a video chat with my sister and asked her opinion. I REALLY just needed someone to make a decision! She said floral for mom!! After seeing mom in the floral robe it is a perfect fit for her.

Pattern: Suki Robe by Helen’s Closet- View B knee length. Description of pattern from website: The Suki Robe is a luxurious and comfortable robe, perfect for everyday use. It wraps around the body for a flattering waist fit and flares out over the hips. The sleeves offer a classic look while still being a practical shape and length for getting ready in the morning. Inner and outer ties keep this robe closed so you can move around freely. The outer ties are anchored to the back of the robe so you will never lose them and inseam pockets ensure your phone is always at hand. Two lengths are provided and you have the option of contrasting front bands, sleeve bands, and ties. The Suki Robe will surely be your new favorite lounge-wear!

This is a PDF only pattern. I really do NOT enjoy printing out sheets of paper and taping them together so I use an online printing service called PDFPlotting.com They do a nice job and have fairly quick turnaround and very reasonable prices.

Fit Changes: No fit changes except to grade between sizes for larger hip.

Design Changes: Almost None! For a change I made these almost exactly as designed by Helen from Helen’s closet. The only thing I did was to make the main ties longer. I added 6 inches to each tie. I also added a label and hanging ribbon.

Fabric: Robe 1: My Mom’s robe- Digital floral print lightweight linen with solid linen accents. Digital print linen from Marcy Tilton and solid accents from Blackbird fabrics.

            Robe 2: My robe- Tiger print rayon challis with solid linen accents. Tiger print rayon challis from WorkroomSocial and solid accents from Blackbird fabrics.

Interfacing: scraps for the corner insertion on the front band.

Notions/Buttons/Zippers: none!

Seam construction and seam finishes: All seams done on a regular sewing machine with a 3 thread overlock serger finishing. The construction directions are quite nice and I had them accessible on my iPad. For both the sleeve bands and the front bands she includes 2 construction methods, a beginner method – exposed seams and a more advanced method- all seams enclosed. I thought this was a very nice touch and would certainly enable new sewists to expand on their techniques.

For all of the edge stitching and topstitching I used an edge stitching foot on my machine to keep things lined up perfectly!

Robe 1 notes- I did have some fun with all of the topstitching on Robe 1. I used a Sulky 12wt Blendables Long staple cotton thread for a nice effect and for the inner ties I used the serger belt loop binder to create the ties.

For the main ties I added an interior back portion to stabilize them better. The main fabric is quite lightweight and I was afraid that over time they would rip at the back where they are attached. Certainly not a design flaw- just a consideration to take into account with the lightweight fabric.

On the inside I added a piece of the straps and edge stitched it down for re-enforcement.On the outside all you see is the rectangle of stitching that matches up to the  straps.

Robe 2 notes- Matching topstitching as I didn’t have anything special on hand to use! The inner ties were made the old fashioned way of sewing and turning the tubes. The rayon was way too soft for feeding through the belt loop maker on the serger and I didn’t want to futz with starching the pieces.

Hem Finishes: Sleeves are finished with a band and the lower hem is a simple double turned and topstitched.

Additional Notes: This was a fun project! I will totally make more of these Suki robes. They are very comfortable and feel quite lovely when worn. I like having the inner tie as I can sit out on the balcony and have coffee in the nice weather and not worry about any wardrobe malfunctions.

If I didn’t already have 2 winter robes I would be making myself another one! I know of some people on my Christmas list that would enjoy a robe as a gift. We shall see if I can make that happen.

Happy Sewing!!

The Princess really enjoyed exploring some of the art done after Chicago George Floyd riots at the RC Shops close to my home. Many shops that have had to put up plywood to protect the glass at shops have taken the opportunity to invite artists to paint them. Much nicer than just plain plywood! Her favorite was this one with the beautiful floral hair!

Also... a sneak peak of what I am currently working on :) Stay tuned for more information.