Another Silhouettes #195 by Peggy Sagers. Poly tiny pleats

I have made it back home form Boston and feel quite lucky that we really did not get hit badly by Hurricane Sandy. The convention was shut down early on Monday and other than some fierce wind and blowing rain it was not bad. (By us at least) I took the evening off and relaxed and watched a couple movies.

I am very saddened by the destruction in NJ and NY. I am extremely happy that all of my family in that area is safe! I grew up there and the reports and pictures still coming in are almost unbelievable. Enough of Sandy.

I realized that I forgot to show off 2 more pieces that I got done prior to the convention. 1 is a pair of knit yoga pants. Easy, peasy knit black ponte pants that are super comfortable have a very nice line. I wore these on the plane and to walk on the treadmill when it was storming in Boston. I used Silhouettes pattern # 3400 3 piece yoga pant. I LOVE the fit of these pants and they are easy to make. (Sorry no picture yet!)

The other item is another top by Silhouettes # 195 sweater set. I think the pattern name should be 'Sweater Set and SOOOOO much more'. It is such a versatile pattern. This time I made the shell out of a tiny poly pleated magenta fabric. The color is very close to the Eiffel Tower silk print lining in the grey Vogue Katherine Tilton Jacket.



This shell was easy to make, especially since it is from a TNT so the fit is figured out. For this fabric I made sure to layout the pattern so that the hem was along the selvedge which eliminated the need to have a hem. Sometimes hemming on the pleated polys can be tricky because they can flatten out and look funky wavy.


For the neck and armholes I fused a knit fusible tape and turned under the edge and topstitched using a walking foot. It turned out very nice! And looks great as a shell.

Speaking of the grey Vogue jacket.... I changers my mind and wore the collar up and loved it! It did not bother me as I was thinking it would and I got many compliments. I wore it with black dress pants and had a pair of suede magenta shoes as well but did not wear those because of the inclement weather. I wore black leather dress shoes instead.



- Posted by Steph from my iPad

Location:Lisle, IL

Silhouettes #195 Sweater Set by Peggy Sagers, revisited in lace!

Here is another top that I had planned in my fall/winter wardrobe. It is a stretch lace in grey/white/black colors highlighted with some metallic stitching.

If memory serves me correctly, I bought this a couple years ago at JoAnn's on super clearance sale. There was only a little over a yard but since it was a 60inch wide I decided to go for it.



This past year I took a couple classes at the Sewing and Quilt Expo on sewing knits and correct uses of different stabilizers. Those hands on classes came in use! I was able to pull my samples and notes and see exactly what I needed to do for the seams and hem finishes to get a good finish. It also helped that I also took a fitting class with Peggy Sagers that used this exact pattern and all the changes that could be done with it to make it very versatile.



Armed with all that information, I fearlessly attacked this project and in a matter of a couple of hours I had a new, stylish top. I have finally jumped on the lace bandwagon!



For the seams I fused strips of 1/2" knit stabilizer and basted using a walking foot and then did a 4 thread overlock. For the neckline and hems I fused a 1 1/2" knit stabilizer to the edge and folded it the right side over and used a narrow cover stitch. You can not even see the knit stabilizer strips anywhere, not even o the darts. It's a very nice technique and it gives the stitches something to sew on to since the lace is very open.


Since this nice stretch lace is very see-thru, I have to wear it with a camisole underneath. You can see it well in the very awkward over the shoulder into the mirror photo below!



In the meantime the weather is getting bad in Boston. However I think we will miss the most of Hurricane Sandy. A least I am keeping my fingers crossed!!

- Posted by Steph from my iPad

Location:Fish Pier St E,Boston,United States

Stella and Luna Tops by Sewing Workshop revisited

I decided to try Stella again. I like the pattern but have decided that if I make it again I will have to change the grain line of the front piece.

Here are some very awkward self photos in the hotel's room giant mirror! The color is a little yellowy in the first 2 photos. The bottom pictures show the real color better. I wore this all day today and am very happy with it and best of all had several compliments :)





This time I made Stella using a nice sweater knit and it sewed up just as beautifully as when I made it in the rayon woven. The directions for setting in the V cowl are very good and both versions have turned out perfect. I did make several changes from last time I made it.


- I used a smaller size for the neck, shoulders, vowel and sleeves and graded to a larger size for the hips area.
- I changed the sleeve circumference by almost 2 inches and made them much more narrow. With them at the original size it really looked very funny in the knit, I also had to shorten the sleeves considerably. I don't know any woman who haves arms that long!
- I eliminated the center back seam, my body doesn't need the extra shaping at the back waist for a knit. I prefer having my clothes hang straight down the back for this style of top.
- I lengthened the bodice by 2 inches because I wanted to wear this with black knit stretch pants and wanted to make sure my bum is covered.
- I used a combination of the walking foot on my Symphony and a 4 thread overlock on my Evolution Serger. The hems for bodice and sleeves were done with a narrow 2 thread cover stitch.



Other than the little flip at the center front, I am VERY Happy. The good thing is that the front thing really is not noticeable when the shirt is worn so not a big deal. Just bugs me...
In the picture below you can see my crude drawing of where the flip originates from. I think if I make this again sometime in the future I will put the center front lower portion on grain and stabilize the V portion with stay tape and that should fix things.



Below you can see the 'flip' at the center front seam in the first version I made.


- Posted by Steph from my iPad

Location:Pier 4,Boston,United States