Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Leggings Kwik Sew 3661

Now this was a qick project. Estimated sewing time (after having cut them out with the leotard), um, 15 minutes?



Not hemming them helped, of course. Look how short they are, unhemmed. Almost shorter than on the envelope model.



Now this can't be right, because while I'm not short, I'm most definitely short-legged. As evidenced by these pictures of the whole ensemble:



I also have a long torso and added over an inch in length to the leotard. The instructions were very helpful, giving exact crotch and back length measurements, and telling me how to lengthen it. Now this may be my first leotard I won't have to continually tug down!
I'm not sure whether I'll sew the ballet skirt or just another leotard with the remnants. The only person who ever wore a skirt when I was a kid in ballet class was the elderly teacher... Am I there yet?
What do you think? Is a ballet skirt a yea or a nay?

Friday, October 22, 2010

Ode to Liberty's

I don't normally go for "brand" names. Unless I'm truly convinced they stand for superior quality or design. Unless the brand/store embodies all I find beautiful. Unless the brand/store makes shopping a purely enjoyable experience - no ugly attacks on the eyes/ears/nose like most high street and department stores offer.
(The gallery at Liberty's with a giant flower installation/art/decor.)

Aaaah. Liberty.


The only negatives I have to offer are the ugly makeover they gave their tea room (why??) and the prices. To be honest though, their fabric goes far beyond what I can buy at fabric markets for 5-15 Euros per metre. So here's about 5-10 fabric markets metre's worth of Liberty fabric:




Dear friends, I have two questions. One, how dare I ever cut into it? Two, what pattern to use? I have 1,5 metres (it's wool and silk), and I'd like to make a blouse/tunic, as usual from Burda Style or maybe Ottobre Woman patterns.




I also bought some cotton duck at Cath Kidston with a cutesy London print I'm probably too old for but will still make into a bag or tote of some sort:



DH upon entering Cath Kidston's said "Now here's a real girl's store!". I think he's right, and too much Cath Kidston might make for a toothache. But it's still fun to see Asian tourists pile their shopping baskets full of flowery knick-knacks! And, I love that she doesn't just sell the stuff but the fabrics, too.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

We're Back!

And I've had my fill of


  • Tube hopping
  • Bus riding
  • Museum strolling
  • Cream tea
  • Fish'n chips

(Challenge: Which picture doesn't have at least two self-stitched garments in it?)

  • Bookstore browsing
  • Window shopping
  • Park ambling
  • Monument gazing
  • Squirrel watching
  • Palace stalking
  • Playground visiting.

Next up: My hideously expensive, beautiful Liberty fabric!

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Sewing Ballet Clothes: Leotard Kwik Sew 3661

After a month of dressing in whatever decades-old exercisewear I could unearth from the closet, I placed my order for shiny, pink Lycra fabric, fought off DD who wanted it all for herself, and made the leotard (leggings, skirt and other things to follow - possibly).




I don't remember what possessed me to show off my bikini in person (sun induced happy hormones?), but it probably won't happen with this leotard. Can you say lumps and bumps?? (And what made me go for shiny and pink in the first place? There's a reason over 50 % in my ladies' ballet class (average age, umm, mine?) wear black from head to toe. Anyway.)




As you can see (or maybe you're kind enough to overlook it), the seam finishes kind of announce: "Homemade! And she doesn't ever own a serger, coverlock or will use twin needles!" Here's the clou: I like it, anyway. And I'll wear it. That is what Me-Made-May and Self-Stitched September will do for you. If you have unloved homesewn garments hanging in your closet, I say, join us for Me-Made March 2011, and you'll wear it all!



On another note, I'm going to my favorite city in the world next week:


London, here I come!


This will be a family holiday, so there may quite possibly be no fabric shopping but lots of sightseeing. Which is absolutely okay, since I never properly saw the sights anyway, and the children will have a blast looking at a real Queen's palace etc. (I had a bit of a hard time convincing DS that yes, the English really have a Queen. No, royalty doesn't just exist in fairy tales!)



We're leaving next week, but there's a family wedding before that, so I may not be blogging for the next couple of weeks or so. Happy sewing!



(Parting shot: A fine fitting pair of pants, with a side order of mud.)

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Boy's Pants "Pont Neuf", Ottobre 4/2010

I sew quite a bit, but I have to admit that I mostly buy the vast amounts of pattern magazines for my own entertainment; if I calculated the average number of garments sewn from one magazine that would be somewhere in the 0.1 vicinity.

The current Ottobre children's magazine, however, has already paid for itself! I made not only the girl's coat, but also these boy's pants from it:



I'd already made a pair of girl's pants from this corduroy fabric (a total fabric market steal, I think it was 5 Euros for 2.5 metres) and wasn't sure at first about the color for boy's pants. I'm very happy with the result though.

I hadn't realized from the pattern that these were - not typical for Ottobre - "skinny pants". I dared cut them really small width-wise, and they fit like a glove. I used a dark olive stretch fabric for the inserts/coin pockets and hope I now have enough left for a skirt. I also used a quilt fabric for the inner waistband and added a hook at DS's request. Details:




As you see, I even added a real zip fly! (And it didn't kill me! Dare I try a pair of grown-up pants soon?) I think I will use this pattern again; it's a really good cut for (slim, long-legged) DS.

Thank you for your encouraging comments regarding the last post! The children seem to be on the mend, and I'm just so thankful to live in this age of modern medicine...

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