Happy New Year!

I wish you all the best of the season!

Season's Greetings!

At the close of this year, I would like to share wishes of Peace on Earth and Goodwill to all Humanity to everyone (blog readers or not). Cheerful Christmas! Happy (belated) Hanukkah , Enjoy (also belated) Eid, Celebrate Solstice and enjoy Keeping Kwanzaa! I believe that I can safely wish everyone health and prosperity in the New Year. :)

I'll be around and I should have time to post!

My Tried and True Sewing Patterns

While going through my stash this weekend, I realized that I have several tried and true sewing patterns. In no particular order:

1. KwikSew 2723. This envelope contains patterns for a sleeveless fitness top, fitness shorts (short and longer lengths) and fitness pants (one seam on the legs, plus the crotch). I have made all three of these patterns, and I have altered them for my body. I like the top because it's sleeveless and it features a Y-back, so the straps will not fall off my shoulder. As with all my fitness tops, I skip the bust-lining (built-on bra), as I will always wear a fitness bra underneath. I also lengthened the pattern by about 3 inches--I can 't stand having a bare midriff. I have made the tops from buttermilk fabrics, mesh, cotton. I use lingerie/picotee elastics instead of casings for the neckline and armholes--I find it much faster to sew. I have made the pants once--they were not a favorite. I think that they were too loose and shapeless. The shorts are my go-to pattern for fitness clothing--but I have lengthened them to capri length and ankle length. The shorts do not have side seams--they have front panel seams and an elastic waist. I made the shorts once, but I'm not really a shorts person. I think that that really like the design because there isn't a front crotch seam so I don't bet a camel toe when I wear them
2. Kwik Sew 3115. This pattern has been reviewed upteen million times on Pattern Review. make the yoga pants, which have a side seam, when I need a longer pair of dance pants. I've made these pants in cotton lycra and stretch velvet (luxurious!) . I have not had any success with the tops--I've made the camisole and the tank top several times . I can't get them to look good--I probably need to make a FBA, but right now it's easier to buy camisoles from Target or Costco and the Kwik Sew 2723 works for sleeveless tops.
3. Kwik Sew 3567. This is a close-fitting raglan sleeve top with side panels. When I need a fitness top with sleeves, I use this pattern. I use all sorts of stretch fabrics for this pattern: mesh, cotton lycra, rayon/poly lycra.
4. Burda 7970. My t-shirt pattern--when I need a top suitable for work, and I don't have time, I pull out this pattern. I have raised the neckline and have drafted an FBA. It fits well and I can make this pattern practically in my sleep.
5. Kwiksew 2527. I use the pattern for socks and the hat (view c). My apartment is very drafty and cold in the winter. I wear fleece socks and hats in the winter to keep warm at night. I can wear the fleece sock all winter (and surreptiously dust the floors) and toss them in the spring. If you head gets cold at night while you sleep, I recommend wearing a hat--it can make a real difference.
6. BWOF 09-2005-129. In my quest to create a TNT pants pattern, I have created a great draft for these pants. I've made 4 versions, including two that are now at Goodwill Industries. I have a comfy pair in dark grey corduroy, another pair in a grey cotton blend (with lycra) and another pair in denim. I don't have any with the fun seaming (those went to Goodwill), but I do consider this a tried and true pattern, as I would not hesitate to sew these again.
7. Jalie 2787. No, I'm not nursing. I like the criss cross top, and I like the tunic length.
8. BWOF 01-2008-116. This is a wrapover top that didn't make it into the Burda envelope patterns. I love it. I had to alter it to raise the neckline, and it has ridiculously long bands, but when I wear it, I feel like I'm being hugged.
9. BWOF 08-2006-104. This is a pullover top that I wear as a sweater. I have made this out of sweater knits, a patterned chenille, and a burnout velvet. It' s great--I can put it on over a t-shirt and it's a great new look. I think that it was available as a Burda envelope pattern, but it appears to have been dropped from the catalog. I had to scale this up from a size 44 and I was not able to raise the neckline. I'm very proud of this top, as it was one of the first Burda World of Fashion patterns that I ever made.

Interfacing sale at Fashion Sewing Supply until 12/12/09

I received a note this morning from Pam at Fashion Sewing Supply--they are dramatically overstocked and are having a warehouse sale. I do recommend this interfacing (the pro-weft fusible)--I used to use the type from JoAnn's, but this is loads better. The stuff from Fashion Sewing supply irons on smoothly and doesn't bubble (note--I didn't realize that J's was bubbling until I tried the Pro-Weft from Fashion Sewing Supply). I just restocked my interfacing supply at the beginning of November, but I may get some of Sheer Elegance. Details located here:

Fashion Sewing Supply

Utility Sewing -

This weekend was a slow sewing weekend. I let out the hems on a pair of pants I made: the grey pair is 1 inch longer. I hope that they don't shrink in length any more. I also made two tops to wear to the gym: longer sleeved versions of KwikSew 3567, made from dark mesh: one version is made from a dark brown with tiny pink dots, the other version is made from a brown and green floral mesh. I hope this helps provide more incentive for working out.

a lovely remedy for a mild malaise

I'm not posting as much as before because I'm back at work (still gainfully employed). However this morning I woke up not feeling well (feverish) so I took a sick day.

I was thinking of working on my trousers (Burda plus 02-2007-402), but I'm just not feeling it. So a lovely remedy for a mild malaise is to sew simple knit t-shirts. I've already finished Burda 7970, a simple knit t-shirt made from some black bamboo jersey/interlock that I bought from an online coop. The bamboo does not have a lot of stretch (crosswise or otherwise) but it is lovely soft. I think that I'm going to enjoy wearing it.

I've cut out another jersey top from a older Burda January 2006 (01-2006-131). It's a t-shirt with vertical seams that I've made it before (reviewed on PR). I searched my stash and I found a jersey made from some sort of synthetic: the fabric has an abstract design in purple, pink, lavender and burgundy. The colors should be nice for these cooler winter days. I'm trying to get away from wearing black all the time.

I should review Simplicity 2603 (the cardi wrap). I made another one from a light cottony/stretchy jersey in magenta that I purchased from Fabrics R Us. I purchased this fabric before I returned to work and it was so lovely that before the week was over, I drove back out to east San Jose to get more yardage in different colors ($3 a yard, outside near the parking area). My stash, now overflowing, contains yardage in lime green, chocolate brown, taupe, and black. I might use the yardage for some other t-shirt variations. We shall see.

The September Issue

It's October 1, so today was the day to see the documentary, The September Issue. It's also the last day that it's showing at a theater close to me. It's a 90 minute documentary that covers preparation of the 2007 September issue of (American) Vogue magazine. The key players in the documentary are Anna Wintour, Editor in Chief of Vogue, and Grace Coddington, the creative director at Vogue. Anna Wintour is still a bit of a cypher, but she doesn't come across as personable, just as a woman who does what she needs to get her job done. At the beginning of the documentary, one of her colleagues explains that she doesn't try to be nice or friendly to strangers. She's not as over the top as Meryl Streep's Miranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada. Of course, you knew why Miranda did things, but Wintour is a bit cryptic. I guess that is the difference between drama and real life.

Grace Coddington is a more memorable person--as she shares her thoughts with the documentary crew (and the audience) as she creates and styles fashion shoots. She's a former fashion model and she has an amazing ability to create different visual scenarios that highlight different fashion designs (she knows how to show the clothing!) and she produces results: lots of great pictures for editorial shots. Each one of her layouts had very strong pictures that were unfortunately edited and made shorter. The documentary is pretty funny, because Wintour wears several lovely fitted sheath dresses (I'm trying to find a pattern for the indigo and white ikat dress, with a shoulder yoke on the front and back), with heels, all the time, and Coddington is always wearing a shapeless black dress with clunky sandals.

I recommend it! I'm going to rent it when it comes out on DVD, so I can take a closer look at some of the fashions.

I'm working on my second pair of Marlene pants, and I've got some finishing touches on

BWOF 09-2005-129. I should be able to post some reviews over the weekend.