Superhero Checklist: Cape…check. Pantone Fall 2013 Colours…check

August 31, 2013February 3, 201487 Comments

Those wonderful and talented kids from Wellington have done it again and now Kat, Mel and Juliet have created The Monthly Stitch where a new sewing challenge is issued monthly. The August 2013 Challenge was to sew a cape! I have always, always, always wanted a cape. I’ve never sewn one, never worn one, never owned one. So, this was the perfect opportunity to Make It So. There have already been some fantastic makes in this challenge, it was very inspiring to see the cape in all its forms.I used a pattern by Christine Haynes from a Quick Stuff to Sew, Winter 2011 magazine that I had. I loved the deep side slits as they allow for range of motion, i.e., you can actually move about and DO things while wearing your cape. There were some issues with enlarging the pattern. If you followed the 980% instructions, then the 1 inch squares became too big. So, I wasn’t sure which was correct, enlarging to 980% or having the squares measure to 1″. In the end, I tried on the ‘paper muslin’ and enlarged it to a size that worked for me.And, more exciting news, the Sew Weekly Challenge has returned! I had not even begun sewing yet when they were blogging and issuing sewing challenges the first time around, so I’m delighted to be able to participate now. The August 2013 Sew Weekly Challenge was to make something out of the Pantone Fall 2013 Colours. The colour I chose for the cape is called Vivacious and the fabric is a medium/heavy wool blend. According to the Pantone Fashion Color Report, Fall, 2013:

Vivacious is an unruly and wildly deep fuchsia, and adds an ebullient sensuality to the palette.

Sounds too fabulous, yes? How could I possibly resist the lure of that?! I underlined each cape piece in a deep navy/indigo bemberg lining fabric and finished off all raw edges with navy bias tape.

Navy/Indigo Bemberg Underlining and Bias Taped Edges

I was originally going to make 1″ bias tape for the necktie, as the pattern called for, out of navy fabric to match the lining, but being part of a Pantone Colour Challenge, it began to feel a bit one-dimensional. So, I chose this lovely silky smooth cotton which incorporated the Pantone colours: Vivacious Pink, Acai Purple, Linden Green, Deep Lichen Green and Carafe, all together. The colour combination of pinks/purples/greens and olive-brown complement each other so beautifully. Colour Theory:

On the colour wheel, the Vivacious shade of pink (red/violet) is opposite the Linden green-yellow shade and is ‘complementary’. This pairing creates contrast and keeps things lively and animated. The acai purple (violet) is adjacent to the pink on the colour wheel, (these are called ‘analogous’ colours), which creates harmony and mellows things out. The two greens are also analogous to one another, lending a calming effect. There is a mix of warm and cool colours which ensure the palette doesn’t become too one-dimensional. The olive-brown colour is actually what you would get if you ‘mixed’ all these colours together and, therefore, fits effortlessly into the colour scheme. The indigo/navy lining has enough purple in it to coordinate with these colours, and is also analogous to the acai purple/violet colour. It is a very deep and dark shade, and so creates a grounding effect and provides a good backdrop for the other colours. This is what I’m hoping, anyway. It all sounds good. 😉

One Tie Over Shoulder

Both Ties Over Shoulder

For the collar/tie piece, I wanted something more lush than bias tape, so I interfaced the fabric with a fleece, to make it thick and cozy and similar in weight and thickness to the cape fabric. I then cut and sewed two rectangles together with angled ends and just sewed it to the cape, all the way around the top. I had no idea how to make a collar/tie like this, just had a vision of what I hoped it to look like, but it did seem to work out well! By adding this style of tie, it creates different options for wearing it and is also warmer. I also wanted the cape to stay closed so sewed on some metal closures down the front. And, what do these metal closures look like? Little capes! 🙂

Who Let The Cat On the Set?? CAT ON THE PHOTO SET!!!

No Treats? I’m Gone….

And, the very best part of having a cape instead of a form-fitting jacket?? There’s always room for one more…

Eat My Cake and Sew it Too

July 28, 2013February 3, 2014117 Comments

The lovely and beautiful Wellington Sewing Bloggers Network have officially declared today, July 28, 2013, Let Us Sew Cake Day. This group is a wonderful and talented bunch of sewists that I have met through the blogosphere and they constantly have such great sewalongs, ideas and meet-ups.So, in honour of this prestigious day, I have sewn Cake Patterns Cabarita Knit Top as well as eaten the better part of an entire sugar flower covered cake! Wisely, I coordinated my cake with my Cabarita Top, because to not have done so, would have been rather gauche. I love the collar piece as well as the v-neck back of this knit top. It really elevates a T-shirt into dressed up wear, so simply and easily. The back is also drafted to be cut on the bias and Steph recommends to keep it that way so that it hugs the curves of your back. My fabric was on the thicker side and quite crisp, so I did not interface the cabarita front collar piece, but would have if I had used a softer and flowy fabric.

The only alteration I made was to narrow both the front and back sleeve by removing 5/8″ (1.5cm) from the bottom of each sleeve. I had to then shorten the sleeve binding accordingly. This way, the sleeve hugged my arm perfectly. It’s easy to figure out a custom measurement for you, simply by measuring your bicep, around where the sleeve ends.

The only thing I would do differently next time, is to attach the sleeve binding after I had sewn the side seams. The patterns calls for you to attach it first, but I find it more difficult to line up the cuff at the seams that way and also, any seam finishing you do, may be more visible since it extends down to the bottom of your cuff.

I like how the front rolled collar and V-neck back really bring the emphasis up to your face and upper half. If you used contrasting sleeve and neck bindings and collar piece or reversed the stripes in a striped fabric, this would play it up even more. The next one I make, I’d like to try contrasting pieces.
The V-neck back is very streamlining and I really enjoy the surprise of it and the symmetry it provides my back.

One of the unique aspects of this pattern is that you ‘draft’ your own size based on your bust, waist and hip measurement. I chose to make mine with zero ease and using my exact measurements, but you can also choose to give it more ease by selecting a larger measurement for each area.

And, you’ve seen him lurking around in the background of the above pics, but it’s likely no surprise that Kitty also enjoys Cake.I highly recommend to eat your cake and sew it too!!

I was also recently interviewed by Mel at A Curious Kiwi for Indie Pattern Month. Check out her post, here. Thanks Mel!

The Elusive Sun Shines! To the Beach, Posthaste!!

July 13, 2013February 3, 2014117 Comments

Lately, around these parts, the sun has been an elusive and mysterious stranger. When it does decide to briefly grace us with its presence, people race out into the streets and stare directly into it!! So, on this beautiful sunny week-end, Kitty and I were finally able to hit the beach, with me sporting my very first me-made beach cover-up and swimsuit, Jungle Boogie style!The lovely and effervescent Leila from Three Dresses Project and the always fabulous Katie from Kaddidlehopper hosted Swimalong 2013. It was great to learn about styles, sewing techniques, proper notions and history of swimsuits. And, it gave me the green light to go ahead and sew my very first swimsuit. You can check out the swimsuit linky party here. The party goes all summer!Then, as perfectly timed as anything could be, the very charming Kristin from Sew Classic teamed up with the engagingly crafty Ashley from Craft Sanctuary to host Show Off Your Skivvies. It is a terrific sewalong that has interviews with designers, links to free patterns, and the goal is to sew and be brave and wear your lingerie, swimsuits and undergarments. And, it gave me the courage to actually wear my swimsuit for the blog. A big thanks to both of you!I sewed high waisted bathing suit bottoms made from instructions and a pattern downloaded from here. I added the gathered side panels to add some design interest and shape. I drafted my own pattern for the swimsuit top.

The front of the swimsuit top is a rectangle measuring 1/2 the width of your bust/chest measurement minus approximately 1″ to 2″ (2 cm to 4cm) long and about 5″ wide, depending on how much coverage you want. The back of the top is another rectangle measuring 1/2 your chest measurement minus 1 to 2″ (2 to 4cm) and about 3″ wide. The back will be narrower than the front, so that you gather the front rectangle into the back when you sew it together at the sides.

Swim Kitty Swim!!

I then cut a lining the same size as the front rectangle and sewed in bra cups for structure. The lining, with the attached bra padding / cups, is sewn to the front rectangle with right sides together, then turned inside out. After sewing the top front piece to the back piece, I made a very thin strap and tied it around to cinch the middle and add shape.

What do you use to line a giraffe print swimsuit? Zebra print!

I also sewed a coordinating beach cover-up called the Peachy Beachy Poolside Cover-up, a free pattern download from Fabric.com that I obtained here. I used a very thin burn-out jersey and the fabric edges rolled like bocce balls down a steep hill! It was very difficult to flatten them out to sew the seams.

Neck facing with 2″ drop at CF. Do you see how the fabric edges Roll Over? Bad fabric. STAY!!

One issue I had with the pattern and instructions was with the neck facing. They wanted you to sew it around the neck, and then down the centre front about 2″ in a straight line and turn it to the inside. I did this first, and it caused a rather unsightly bump in this area that I believe would have been there even with a good pressing and top-stitching.So, I re-drafted the neck facing to be the same width all the way around and stitched it without sewing down that length at the centre front. When I turned it to the other side, obviously less of the beach cover-up top turned under with the facing, so the bottom front opening is actually lower than it should be and sits just above my waist instead of just below my bust. This still looked good, just a different style.

Finally, the sun! So…bright…

I would like to know if anybody has a technique of how to work the neck facing the way they want it sewn without causing a large bump in the centre front? Do share if you have any ideas. Thanks!

I leave you with fabulousness. Guaranteed. Enjoy: