Grey wool coat for Spring

19/07/2010 4:09 am \ 29 Comments \

I made myself a coat for spring, using McCalls 5525, view B and grey wool fabric, bought back in March on a whim.  So, it took some cutting magic to get this coat out of the small amount of wool I had bought because there really wasn’t enough for this pattern!  When I realised this and went back to the store to get some more it had all been sold and I needed to buy a small amount of a different grey wool fabric which I used for the under collar and front facings, you can probably see on the close-up pictures the different fabric on the under/in-side of the coat but I think it’s not so different as to stand out in an ugly way.  Actually I think it worked out to be a blessing in disguise, because the second fabric is a much stiffer and thicker felted wool than the outer woven wool fabric, so I decided there was no need to interface, and I think it was the right decision not to do so.  The weight of the two wool layers together feels quite thick and stiff enough…
I lined it with a purply-pink cotton poplin, which makes the weight of the coat perfect for Perth’s sometimes chilly but sometimes warm spring weather.  I’m looking forward to wearing it more!

Details:
Coat; McCalls 5525 view B, grey wool flannel
Skirt; my own design, charcoal stretch jersey knit
Shoes; Misano, from Labels

Pattern description
Semi-fitted, lined, double-breasted jacket and coat have collar, lengths and sleeve variations, princess seams and side front pockets.  Here I made view B with back vent, sleeves with button bands, topstitch trim and button closure
Pattern sizing
8-16, I made size 10
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you had finished sewing it?
yes
Were the instructions easy to follow?
very easy
What did you particularly like or dislike about this pattern?
I loved everything about this pattern!  I like that it is fully lined, not half lined as some coat patterns are; the inset pockets are in a good position on the front, and the one-piece sleeves are an easy feature
Fabric used:
Woven grey wool for the outer, purple/pink cotton poplin for the lining.  Thicker felted wool fabric for the under collar and facings (because I didn’t have enough of the outer fabric)
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
I made the pockets slightly larger as I thought the ones in the pattern looked too small for comfort
Would you sew it again?  Would you recommend it to others?
I highly recommend this pattern, the variations mean you can achieve so many looks from this one pattern and I do plan to try some of the others
Conclusion:
This is such a stylish and versatile coat pattern.  The pattern is well designed; it went together very easily, all the pieces fitting together as they should with no difficulty.  The one piece sleeves make this a breeze to sew.  I made view B, and I particularly love the flattering asymmetrical collar, very “designer” and slightly retro.  I think this view would work beautifully in heavy satin for an evening coat.  I also particularly like the button bands on the sleeves of this view.  I hand-tacked these bands to the sleeve seams to lessen the risk of them “rotating” around the sleeve during wear.

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Birthday scarf

17/07/2010 3:05 am \ 5 Comments \

It was A’s birthday a week ago, my sister-in-law, and I’ve made her a loopy scarf for a present.  She has a lovely olive complexion and reddish and caramel highlights in her dark hair, so I’m thinking these warm strong colours will suit her beautifully.  I’ve held off putting the scarf up here because I think she reads this blog occasionally and I didn’t want to spoil the surprise of her pressie by her reading about it and seeing it here first! until I had a chance to go over to visit her…  I hope she likes it!
The pattern I used is the same as this scarf, using one ball of Colinette Fandango, a scrummy all-cotton yarn.

Details:
Scarf; knitted using one ball of Colinette Fandango
Top; Country Road
Cardigan; Country Road, found secondhand, originally oyster white and dyed
Jeans; Soon
Boots; Mina Martini, from Marie Claire shoes

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Oversized knitwear

16/07/2010 5:16 am \ 3 Comments \

The latest Vogue magazine has been singing the virtues of oversized knitwear for this winter.  This isn’t a look I go for very often, but I thought for once in a while, why not?  Granted the fashionable colours for this year are more of your putty greys, beiges, caramels, charcoal and black.  Sometimes it is nice though to splash out with a taste of cheery warm scarlet to brighten up the day.
For today I dug out this jumper that I had made for my husband, very early in our marriage.  Definitely pre kiddies, anyhow…  I don’t think he’s worn it for at least ten years.  I mentioned in a previous post how I occasionally borrowed my husband’s clothes, and Caroline commented how her husband’s clothes would be HUGE on her, well, lookie here, people, at what my husband’s clothes actually look like on me, too!  I think “oversize” and “loose” are being achieved here satisfactorily, no?  I think an oversize jumper can look very cute and sexy, when it is styled right.  It’s best worn with close-fitting, if not tight, pants or a skirt; so the big loose top part of your ensemble is balanced out by a sleeker, streamlined lower part.  We have no desire to go out looking at all “dress-up box”, now, do we?
This jumper is made using Patons 8 ply, an Australian pure merino wool that sadly seems to have disappeared from the knitting aisles… it came in a fabulous range of pure self colours which lent itself beautifully to fair isle designs as well as one colour affairs such as this one.
I followed a pattern which has long gone so I can’t share with you here, sorry.  It was my first go at cables, and once these were de-mystified for me in the making of this jumper I’ve not looked back.  Now I’m just like, cables? meh… no biggie.

Details:
Jumper; made by me, using Patons 8 ply to a Patons pattern
Jeans; made by me, Burda 7863, khaki stretch gabardine
Top (underneath); Metalicus

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“Welcome” plaque

15/07/2010 8:22 am \ 5 Comments \

While sewing is my first and fiercest love, I have once upon a time also indulged in other artistic pursuits; including folk art painting.  Anyone else who once joined in the “folk art phase” please don’t remind me how long ago that particular fad was, let’s keep it our little secret…
I did quite a lot of folk art stuff but gave most of it away and only have a few things left.  The last time I stayed down in the country with Mum and Dad I took this photo of a “welcome” plaque I made for them…
The design is my own and the flower painted on it, for non-Aussies, is supposed to be a grevillea.  It might not be a perfect grevillea but years later I’m still quite pleased with how it turned out.

In sewing news, I am making a wool coat for spring from grey wool flannel which is coming along very nicely, thankyou for asking.  I am getting through that mountainous stash like nobody’s business…  But for every handful of strides forward one must expect the obligatory backward step once in a while…  Last week my friend J asked me if she could borrow a favourite dress to wear to a  cocktail party so I went to my wardrobe to hunt out something… and felt deeply depressed at all the lacklustre gowns hanging there.  I hated all of them.  I need some new evening wear, soon!  She borrowed this dress again, a dress I’m still OK with.  Well I’m not ready to toss it out just yet, put it that way.  But I seriously feel in need of a classy evening dress with some pizzazz.  A new one.  Something different from my oldy oldies that have been worn for years…  Something smart and modern.  So I bought this today and some silk dupion in an old gold colour with the evocative name of “Antique”.  Excited!  Watch this space…
Oh, I still have about three or four evening outfits I haven’t put up here on my blog yet, and will do so at some point.  Promise.

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Noro baggy beanie

14/07/2010 3:48 am \ 5 Comments \

So, here is the other baggy beanie I’ve made for this winter.  This is made using one ball of Noro Kuryon? I think?  I bought it a few months ago, and have lost the tag so colourway is unknown, sorry!…  It’s my own design, but obviously there’s nothing tricky or difficult about making a beanie.  The beauty in this beanie is in the lovely knobbly wool, and it’s woods-y shades of moss green, heather-y purple, a touch of fungal yellow, all shades of brown and deepest charcoal.

Tension: 12 sts and 20 rows to 1ocm square

Cast on 60 stitches.
k2, P2 rib to end
repeat for another 11 rows (12 rows rib in total)
Continue in stocking stitch (K 1 row, P 1 row) for another 24cm length, Decrease for crown as follows:
K4 K2 together, repeat to end of row (50 stitches)
P 1 row
K3, K2 together, repeat to end of row (40 stitches)
P 1 row
K2, K2 together, repeat until end of row (30 stitches)
P 1 row
K1, K 2 together, repeat until end of row (20 stitches)
P 2 together until end of row (10 stitches)

Cut thread leaving tail of 15cm, thread through wool needle, pass through stitches left on knitting needle, pull tight and tie off.  Sew up seam of beanie… done!

Can be worn long and baggy, or the ribbing rolled up to make it a little shorter  🙂

 

Details:
Beanie; made by me to my own design, Noro Kureyon
Skirt; made by me, Vogue 7303, olive green corduroy
Top, tights and cardigan; all Metalicus
Boots; Andrea and Joen, from Uggies

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Bedsocks

13/07/2010 3:27 am \ 2 Comments \

These did not start out life as bedsocks, but as proper socks deserving of wearing outside of the house.  Now they look just awful and I’m a bit embarrassed to put them up here, but they are handmade by me so here they are…  Unfortunately these were one pair of the three victims of that notorious Day of the Disastrous Too-Warm Wash and have shrunk (you’ve seen all of these now), and have been delegated to my daughter’s sock drawer.  I’m so lucky she has smaller feet than me (I have HUGE feet) and can wear these socks… 
These were made using the Pastonyle sock wool, which has a very high wool content and a low synthetic content, a no-no for sock wool as it turns out…  it’s my own fault for not separating them out from the general washing pile of garments that are a little hardier.  Nowadays I wash all the socks on a wool cycle and have no more nasty surprises when I hang up the washing… we live and learn.

Below; another little face that popped up at me, a sad face this time…  It’s strangely ironic that this face appears to be crying, on a day when the skies are weeping copiously too, no?

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The pared back menswear look

12/07/2010 4:07 am \ 10 Comments \

My ensemble today is inspired by the minimalist pared back look of this Chloe outfit (below)I spied and coveted in my Vogue magazine.  I assumed at first it was from the spring/summer Celine collection that I have raved about in a previous post; an uncluttered simple look that suits me to a T… but no, it is Chloe, Fall 2010.  Obviously the designer Hannah MacGibbon was just as “inspired” by Phoebe Philo’s collection as everyone else.  I won’t say “copied”, these are supposed to be paid creative professionals, after all…!, but you just head over to style.com and have a quick squiz at these two collections side by side and you might raise your eyebrows a little too…
These are the linen pants I made back last year, using Burda 7944.  I love their wide-legged comfortable Annie Hall appeal.  For winter I am wearing my tights underneath and a thick thermal under my top, and I’m warm as warm can be!  So nice the weather has warmed up a tad now the winter rains have come…  
On a different note; when I started this blog I was determined that I would be spicing up my boring wardrobe by trying to accessorise more but looking back I can see my natural look is to be minimally accessorised and I seem to be slipping back to that more and more…  should I fight this?

Details:
Pants; made by me, Burda 7944, gunmetal blue linen
Top; Metalicus
Belt; Country Road, had since a teenager
Boots; Mina Martini, from Marie Claire shoes

Photos below; at left Chloe Fall 2010 RTW, middle Celine spring/summer 2010 RTW, right a still from “Annie Hall” filmed in 1977

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Pattern Magic, page 13, sleeve 2

10/07/2010 4:08 am \ 8 Comments \

OK.  I know this is a bizarr-o looking sleeve.  Luckily Bessie is an uncomplaining model.  Trust me, this isn’t the strangest looking thing in this book, but I still consider the drafting exercises in Pattern Magic by Nakamichi Tomoko to be a terrific learning tool for the self-taught seamstress, aka me.
I did remember to take two progress pictures of the paper pattern making process but then got caught up in the whole measuring, cutting, re-arranging, taping side of things and forgot to take any more pictures, sorry.
And the piece of lurid yellow fabric I used for this toile is calico; the victim of one of my old dyeing experiments, this one involving curry powder…

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