British Sewing Bee

See I finally got to watch the Great British Sewing Bee (I know, a little late) and I LOVED it! If you are the other person who still hasn't seen it, I highly recommend it. American sewing shows should really strive for what they did there. But what I thought was really funny was as I was watching it, my boyfriend looked over my shoulder and said, "So she pretty much just blows them out of the water each time, huh?", referring to Ann. Yup, even a computer-game playing science nerd recognized that Ann is a rockstar. Go Ann!

Guess who's back!

I'm back, I'm here, hallelujah! I passed both my classes (I love how once you get into grad school, you don't care much about the grades anymore), but still have my big oral exam coming up. Early July is the new goal, here's hoping.

I finished my final exam on a Wednesday a couple weeks ago and came home with what my boyfriend called an excess of creative energy. I HAD to sew something. So what did I choose? Something simple and familiar. Hells NO! How about something I've never ever done before.

Jersey. Slippery, slidey, stretchy craziness. A Mission Maxi.

Not high in this picture, just in case you thought so.

And it turned out sooo well! What a return to the game. Check out those matching side seams.

Ok, maybe not the matching above the waist, but below the waist it flawless! The jersey is from Gorgeous Fabrics, and they still have it here! I followed the instructions and they were great. Everything is serged (wow, was the serger a rockstar on this fabric!), except for topstitching the neckline binding. I ever so slightly stretched out the armhole binding on one side, but its only noticeable to us, right? I also serged the hem but didn't hem it in any way because I wanted as much stretchiness as humanly possible. Also, the pattern is true to size, what a concept!

Closer look at the binding. The neck binding is cut with primarily the yellow color and the arm bindings are cut with primarily the blue color, a detail only the maker could love.

Funny story, but promise not to tell my landlord, mkay? I finally bought some tracing paper (ok, exam paper, but the same thing). I traced this pattern because I know my mom wants one of these someday and I wanted to preserve the pattern. Little did I realize that permanent marker goes right through exam paper onto the wood floor below. Ruhroh. It'll wear away by the time I move out? Right? RIGHT?

I feel pretty.

AND I'M BACK, BABY!

Break, hiatus, respite

So I haven't done any sewing, knitting, or crafting lately. I haven't even done any blogging on the new Vogue patterns. I have a good reason.

I don't like to talk about my career because people in my career aren't supposed to have hobbies and are looked on poorly for it. Also why I never say my full name, I don't want to be Google-able for having such an awesome other life (cause sewing is AWESOME). But I will say that I am currently a grad student and this semester I'm jumping back into taking classes after 1.5 years of being gloriously classless (lol). Also, more importantly, I have to take a test sometime this semester. This test decides whether or not I can stay in my program. Its kind of important. And its wicked hard.

I won't be doing anything other than work for the next few months. Hopefully, I'll get that test over with sometime in March and be back (slowly) to fun stuff by April, but I'm trying to be realistic here. I'm living vicariously through other bloggers until then, its my only lifeline to sanity. Wish me luck and I'll hopefully see you soon.

-LK

New New Look Patterns: Spring 2013

Wow, New Look released some boring shiz this sewing season.

New Looking 6173

Ok, this is obviously a prom pattern, but that doesn't mean it has to be dull as hell. The one shoulder is fine, I actually think more people should embrace printed gowns, and the simplicity lets the print shine through. On the other hand, the blue-purple thing is cheap and outdated.

New Look 6174

Or maybe I'm wrong, maybe girls these days just want to look tacky as ^&#*. Remember the first season of Project Ruway, with Jay McCarrol and Kara Saun, those people had talent. This is not talent.

New Look 6181

The back is kinda cute with the back-cowl, but that's a pretty sack-like dress. Pretty lazy pattern making if you ask me.

New Look 6185

Cute jammies!

New Look 6188

Another Chanel jacket. This looks fine, but I think other Chanel jacket patterns are going to give you the more detail that a Chanel jacket demands. Unless you want a bare bones Chanel jacket, it is quite cute.

Can we stop here and say a little thank you for the lack of bikes in these pics.

New Look 6176

Plain little shift dress with some shaping and a nice neckline. I was looking for a plain shift dress pattern a couple of years ago and couldn't find one that made me happy so keep 'em coming boys! Those buttons on a grown woman are gross.

New Look 6180

Remember when you graduated from beginning sewing and no longer had to find patterns that used elastic on EVERYTHING? Why are we reverting?

New Look 6183

Gathers under the bust always come off as homemade when I do them, maybe I'm just bad at gathers. Another dated pattern.

New Look 6184

No! This is the same pattern as 6144 with a little fabric added here and there. Don't insult me.

New Look 6186

More elastic = Lazy pattern making

As soon as you lean over in that cross over, you are showing your goods to the world.

New Look 6187

I'll take the bottom right with a pair of righteous bell bottoms, man.

New Look 6189

I don't really understand the front notch in the waistband, but I'm not personally insulted by this pattern. There's nothing special, except that notch, what are they trying to tell us...

New Look 6191

I might have made those pants when I was 11. In sunflower fabric.

New Look 6192

This has to exist already.

New Look 6193

Told you they were going to capitalize on the independent pattern companies popular use of peter pan collars.

New Look 6194

I've come to find I dislike cropped things, but they are fine for other people. Also, those are the same pants found in 6174 above.

New Look 6196

And here are the pants for a third time.

New Look 6197

I'm totally making that shirt for my boyfriend (same fabric) and then guilting him into wearing it outside. "But I maaaade it for you, honey. Don't you love meeeee???"

Beauty

I'm in another country again and that means no sewing right now (which makes me twitchy), but this was one beautiful sunset.

Have a lovely day all.

Pattern Review: Riverbed Shawl

There was nothing better to follow up my enormous, never-ending previous knitting project than with a shawl that took me two days to knit. Two glorious wonderful days.

The shawl is one of my diy Christmas presents and is going to my lovely future mother-in-law. My boyfriend's contribution was picking out the colors and they are very beautiful colors.

The pattern is from Twinkle's Weekend Knits which has the best bulky yarn patterns. I LOVE Twinkle! I used Blue Sky Bulky yarn which is soft and fluffy and yummylicious. My two yarn loves are Noro and Blue Sky, they are the best stuff. The pattern calls for 9 stripes, but I only made 7 to reduce some bulkiness in the width which was perfect. I also reduced the 13" (!) fringe down to 7", wayyy more manageable. I've never put fringe on anything, it was quite fun!

What a pretty project, I hope she loves it!

Now here's the shitty part. I was so anxious to get this in the mail that there's only one picture and it was only discovered serendipitously on my boyfriend's phone.

...yeah.

Christmas present!

Since finishing my awesome jacket that I wear every chance I can get, I'm been working on a super secret project, my Mom's Christmas present and I can finally post it! Here's the story.

A few months ago my Mom sent me a package in the mail and wrapped some things in old napkins that we have. Napkins that we've used since I can remember using napkins and these things were holey. I mean more hole than napkin, you could put your entire face through them. My Mom deserves awesome napkins, and while I was at it, my Mom deserved awesome placemats. I wanted to give her something that was casual, but could be gussied up, something mix-and-matchable, and I wanted to give her alot of whatever I was going to do.

12 placemats, 12 napkins, 4 of each color. I backed the placemats with oatmeal colored fabric to add to the mix/matachableness. The thread is oatmeal colored and used on the napkins too. I used 3.5 spools, that machine embroidery takes a lot of thread! There is the thinnest batting I could find in the placemats that gives them just enough loft. And its real linen!

Ah, perfectly mitered corners.

My Mom loved them. Merry Christmas Mom!