Purple Explosion

I've been on a top-making binge lately.  Between last Wednesday and today, I've made three tops and am half-way through a fourth.

The one I'm most excited about is my second Avocado Hoodie made from the awesome heathered purple fleece I picked up from my recent trip to the Textile Discount Outlet (Blogged here. I called it maroon in that post, but after playing with it for a while, have decided it's more purple.)

Pattern: Avocado Hoodie by Disparate Disciplines. I made option B, non-overlapping hood with back pockets.

Fabric: Super soft, super awesome purple fleece from the Textile Discount Outlet. I could not stop petting this in the store. I also used purple jersey left over from this dress for the pocket lining picked up in the Vogue Fabrics remnant room.

Size and Modifications: Even though I said I would modify the size a bit after my last hoodie, I lied.  I used the same sizing as before - size 6 on top and size 8 at hips. Since this fabric is much thinner and more drapey than my first, it fits looser.

I also did elect to interface the pocket tabs with some lightweight fusible interfacing and tacked down the tabs just a bit in the corners. This helped them not gape open as much as my first hoodie. (That one isn't bad, these just lie flatter.)

Close-up of my lining:

Underneath , I had on my latest Renfrew.  This is the millionth time I've made this pattern, and there's no end in sight. This shirt was made from purple burn out jersey picked up from, you guessed it, the Vogue remnant room. Seriously, most of my Renfrew fabric comes from here.

As you can probably tell, I've been on a major purple/maroon/burgundy/wine colored fabric binge lately. But hey, if the color works, why not stick with it?

Finished Denim Beignet

I was way too impatient to wear my new Beignet to wait until I sewed on belt loops. I may change my mind some day, but I'm good without them for now.

(The striped shirt in these pictures is one of my many Renfrews.)

This fabric is a lightweight stretch denim purchased at Vogue Fabrics, and was leftover from my first pair of Thurlows. The red lining was quilting cotton that I picked up at Joann's while shopping for buttons. It's not really suitable for lining, but it's red! And looks like fish scales! I couldn't pass up this awesomeness just because it was quilting cotton.

Also, I love the fact that I got to use red thread for everything! Red top stitching. Red buttonholes. Red serger thread. Love it! I also want to say that I love making buttonholes now. I've never had a machine that made them well (or at all) before my Husqvarna. It's made all the difference in the world.

Construction details: Someday, I'll be able to correctly judge my skirt size. I don't have this problem with dresses, just skirts. I try to take into account ease, finished measurements, the fact that there is a big difference between my waist and hip measurements, and the fact that I have to make sure the darn thing fits over my ass.  Even with all that in mind, I always end up choosing a few sizes too big and having to make major adjustments.

For this skirt, I cut a size 10 and started taking it in at the waist. I didn't compare my final measurements to the pattern, but I'd estimate that the waist is now closer to a size 2 or 4. The hips were taken in slightly in the process, and are probably somewhere between an 8 and 10.

"Design Features" (aka - screw ups): I accidentally cut the shell center back panel from the lining pattern piece instead of the correct shell piece. Unfortunately, that piece was about 4" shorter and I didn't have extra denim to recut. It's not bad, but it means that the skirt is just a little bit shorter than I prefer.

This is my second Beignet, and the second time I stopped following directions midway through construction. I don't know why, and I don't blame the pattern or instructions. Halfway through, I realize that I've stopped paying attention and I go off on my own. It also means that I completely ignore things like sewing twill tape along the waistband.  Someday...

The verdict: I love it. This skirt is going to be in heavy rotation this summer. I'm sure I'll make another Beignet, and am positive I'll stop paying attention to instructions, leave off the belt loops, and decide I need to go with a size 10 again because that's just how I roll.

Grey Lace Renfrew

I put aside all of my brand new fabric purchases from Vogue last week and whipped up another Renfrew.

I'm sparing you a picture of my face because this was my first day up and around after having a bad bout of food poisoning, and I'm looking only slightly better than death. The Renfrew however looks great.  I really love how this fabric combo turned out.

The grey jersey is another remnant purchase from Vogue that was used for a Burda tunic last year.  I purchased the black lace to make some Rosy Ladyshorts. Side note: I've made about five pairs of these now and they are amazing. The fit is perfect, and they just look so cute. I'll post some pictures (non-action shots of course) when I make another pair.

And here's the back. It's amazing how each Renfrew fits different depending on the fabric and how well I've managed my seam allowances for a particular project. This one was a bit tight around the arms. But post-food poisoning, lighter-weight me did not find it uncomfortable. Gotta look on the bright side of things!

T-Shirt Club

Last Sunday, my friend and I got together for the first meeting of our T-Shirt Club.  The idea was that we'd get a group of friends together and decorate shirts. It ended up just being the two of us, but it was definitely fun!

Since I'm still on my "I'm not going to buy any clothes, I'm going to make them all" kick, I decided to see what Renfrew fabric I had.  Then inspiration hit.  I wanted a Doctor Who t-shirt. (You might have seen the teaser image in my earlier blog post.) I also happened to have a "tardis blue" fabric in my stash that I had previously tried to sew with my old sewing machine - the machine that was no longer capable of completing a zig zag stitch. It was tragic. This was the fabric that scared me off stretch knits for years! I also decided that I'd never actually wear this color. Well, never say never:

My background was inspired by the galaxy shoes I found on Etsy.  I used fabric paint and glitter to achieve the galaxy effect.  The Tardis image was created using an iron on transfer and going over some parts with fabric paint.

I didn't get my act in gear in time to sew the shirt and just brought the front to the party.  Since then, I've been able to finish.

I omitted the cuffs and bottom band and opted to instead serge, folder over and hem. I started using my twin needle at the bottom hem and managed to bend it. Of course, I didn't realize it was bent until after I had to unpick two rather large sections of the neck hem. (It must be my tension - oh wait. That needle isn't supposed to be curved like that!)  It's a good thing this fabric is forgiving. I gave up and opted for two lines with the single needle instead.

I'm planing a second, Dr. Who inspired shirt. I love using the Renfrew as the blank canvas and incorporating my own designs.

Renfrew Madness!

I've been analyzing my store-bought wardrobe lately. Most shirts are one of two shapes - the standard t-shirt shape that I don't wear much unless I'm cleaning or doing yard work, and more of the fitted "baby doll" shape. The only differences are the fabric and slight variations of the cut.

That's why I love the Renfrew pattern so much. I can make 10, 20, 30 of the same pattern and they'll all look different depending on the fabric, version I choose and any style adjustments I make.

Today's Renfrew is a variation on View C.  The cowl neck with 3/4 sleeves variation is my fave.  For this version, I lengthened the shirt by about 2-3 stripes. I don't know what that is in inches, I just counted down a couple of stripes and cut, widening it a bit at the bottom. I discovered that I didn't have enough for a full cowl, so I cut one layer minus a few inches. I adjusted the pattern curve so that I could neatly fold it over, instead of using the two full sized layers called for in the pattern.  The result is a lot less volume at the neck, but I think it works because the fabric is so lightweight.

The fabric was a sparkly knit from Vogue fabrics in Evanston, IL.  If you ever go there, check out the remnant section. It's so much fun and it's where I usually pick up most of my knits.  Basically, I see what looks good, bring it home and then look to see what Renfrew I can squeeze out of it. (Okay, occasionally I switch off with a Burda pattern, but there's not much variation these days.)

Here's a closeup of the neck detail and better view of the sparkle factor in the stripes.

The fabric was a bit wonky - warped with different sizes of silver and white stripes, and not by design. This gave me some difficulty when trying to match stripes. Oh well, I'm not complaining because a. Sparkly fabric and b. under $10!

I also used this project as an excuse to break out my twin needle.  I think the detail was a lost in this knit, but I enjoy trying out new techniques even when they don't work as planned.  I omitted the bottom waist band and instead serged the edge, folded it over and used the twin needle to finish:

I have a few more Renfrews planned and a t-shirt decorating party where I'm going to embellish them a bit. If the end product is something I wouldn't be embarrassed to be seen in public wearing, I'll post pictures.

Burda Pencil Skirt

A couple of weeks ago, I put my Cambie aside and downloaded Burda's Princess Seam Pencil Skirt

Source: http://www.burdastyle.com/pattern_store/patterns/princess-seam-pencil-skirt-042012

I wanted a pencil skirt for my upcoming work trip and thought this pattern would be the perfect use for the teal wool from my stash. I was drawn to the princess seams and thought they would be more flattering on me than darts.

I made a muslin of the largest size, 44. I the only adjustment I made was to take in each seam 1 to 2 centimeters at the waist. Just to go off on a tangent for a second - who does Burda size their patterns for? I'm definitely not a stick, but I don't consider myself that big either (not counting the extra junk in the trunk).  Why am I cutting out the largest pattern size?  Okay, rant over :)

Here's the completed skirt paired with one of my many Renfrew tops. This was completely unintentional, but my color choices are very similar to the original Burda image. (Posing with my black cat would have completed the look.)

The skirt went together like a dream.  It's official, I love sewing with wool felt. (I'm pretty sure that's what this fabric is.) It presses beautifully and I didn't have to finish the seams which is a huge deal to me.  I'll also be able to easily take the skirt in if necessary.

The pattern is very easy to put together.  There's no lining and the fabric is simply folded over to create the waist band facing.  Because the wool holds a crease so well, I didn't feel the need to sew this facing down anywhere except the zipper. If I had used a lighter weight fabric, I probably would have tacked it down at each seam.

My zipper is a bit crazy toward the bottom, but I really don't care. I'm probably the only person who will notice this anyway.

I can officially cross another item of "The List"! I will definitely reuse this pattern and have some newly purchased black wool lined up waiting for an opening in my sewing queue.

Welcome to Makizy Sews

Hello and welcome to Makizy Sews! One of of my resolutions this year is to start blogging about my sewing and other craft-related projects. I enjoy sewing anything from evening wear to simple flannel pants and everything in between.

My goal with this blog is to share the many projects that I have in progress and on my very large to-do list. Hopefully, committing to regular blog posts will also motivate me to finish more projects and clean up the enormous WIP pile!

Last year, I set a goal for myself to try to sew my wardrobe instead of buying new clothes.  I mostly succeeded and can count the number of new garments I purchased on two hands.  This year, I want to take this challenge even further and construct more everyday wear as well as expanding my evening wear options.

Here's an example of last year's sewing - my 2012 Renfrew Collection (using Sewaholic's amazing Renfrew Pattern). Modeling these is the lovely Kiko, also know  "ki" in Makizy

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I'm sure there will be many format changes and blog iterations while I learn and explore this new online medium, but I'm looking forward to the learning process and hope you'll join me for the journey!