On the very day I finished my big jacket project, January 31, 2024, I managed to crank out one baby gift and start another! You see, I had promised my daughter I would start on a BIG (and nerve-wracking) project for her, but not until February, after I was finished with the jacket. And I was hoping I could squeeze two quick and easy baby presents in between.
One of our family friends had a new little baby and also has an older child, so I wanted to make them both a little something. First up was one of my favorite quick and fun projects, a large leaf blanket! This pattern comes from Twig + Tale in New Zealand. They have released numerous leaf blanket pattern collections, each with several leaf shapes that you can make in sizes large and small. I have three of the collections, and I love making them–they are fast, there is no fitting involved, they’re great scrap busters, and it really does look like a leaf when it’s done! This delights me every time.
I decided to make the Large Linden Leaf Blanket, because I haven’t made that one yet, and Google told me lindens turn yellow or gold in the fall, which gave me some good color direction.
While some of my leaf blankets have been stash or scrap busters, I wanted to buy plain quilting cotton in natural colors for this, since it is a gift, and the baby’s mom and dad are big nature-lovers.
I chose my fabric when I was at Pintuck & Purl in North Hampton, NH, picking up my sewing machine from being serviced. I chose 1.5 yards each of Kona cotton in “Banana Pepper” and “Curry”. I still had some Pellon Natural Cotton Batting from Joann in my stash at home–not that I realized that at the time, but I do try to keep some for leaf blankets, since I have made numerous ones for numerous people.
I did end up picking up some matching thread when I was at Joann’s since after checking my thread stash, I could see that I might run out of matching colors.
And so, the very day I finished my jacket, I got started on this. I had already printed and taped the pattern together while watching TV one night, so I just had to lay out my fabric on the floor, right sides together with my batting on top, and I could cut out everything in one fell swoop, just as I was going to sew it.
I’m a big rotary cutter fan, but for this, I pinned my pattern to my fabric layers and got out my giant, 10.5″-long vintage Wiss scissors. They are wonderfully sharp (thanks to Gordon’s in Beverly, MA), and really fun to use.
I think I found these at an estate sale or something similar.
Even though I have made these blankets several times now, I got out the directions to remind me of when and where to clip my seam allowances. Once prepped, I sew the layers together, leaving an opening for turning, and then flip everything right-sides-out. I push out all the leaf points to get them as pointy as possible, just using a chopstick or mechanical pencil without the lead sticking out. Then, rather than hand-sewing the opening shut, I topstitch around the edge, which closes the opening for me, and looks really nice.
Using sewing chalk, I look at the pattern, eyeball the leaf veins, and draw them onto my blanket. I don’t do any careful or exact transfer method. I find I can get it close enough that I’m happy by just looking at the pattern.
I use quilting (bent) safety pins to pin-baste the blanket and then stitch down the central spine. I nearly always have my walking foot on my machine, so I definitely use that, and I usually like to use the thread that matches the bottom on the top, and the thread that matches the top in my bobbin for some nice contrast. I sort of work from the middle out when sewing down the leaf vein lines. It doesn’t take long until I am done!
Bright yellow side (“Banana Pepper”?)
Once finished quilting, I take out the safety pins, and then throw the leaf blanket in the wash to get rid of the chalk and fluff and crinkle things up. I always prewash my fabric without fabric softener before starting a project, and I find that you still get some of that satisfying crinkle on the leaf blankets that are in quilting cotton, even with that. I know some quilters wash after finishing to heighten that effect rather than prewashing, but I don’t think I can bring myself to start a project without prewashing my fabric. I just don’t want to do it. I am a dyed-in-the-wool prewasher. :)
Golden yellow side (“Curry”?)
The linden leaf blanket was finished super fast! That very night! It was such a gratifying project and a great palate-cleanser between some large projects. I even managed to start on a little present for the baby’s older sibling, but more on that later…
I know a leaf blanket might not seem to be the most practical of blankets for a baby, and you could definitely argue that, but my hope is that this will not only be used as a blanket, but also as a play mat, a decoration, maybe a rug, or a little mat to sit on as the baby gets older. I sleep with the warmest one I made most nights in the winter since I sometimes get cold only on my shoulders. They make great lap blankets, too. Anyway, I hope the baby (and, really, the baby’s parents) like this new leaf blanket for their sweet little one. :)
Here is a project that I wasn’t planning on making…but I’m so glad I did! Someone I met at the Pattern Review Weekend in Lowell, MA last June invited me to join her and a few others in a coat sew-along. It’s been one of my goals since chucking Instagram to meet more sewing and knitting people in real life, so after thinking it over, I decided to go for it.
What to sew was the question. Of course, with every new project, there is so much potential. I went down a major Pinterest path. What could I do to make the best coat EVER?! I could transform a wool blanket, I could include many super cool, AMAZING details I had saved as ideas… I really got into the planning! In the end, I came up with a much more pedestrian idea that I could add some nice extra details to: the humble barn jacket.
My husband awarded me Best in Show. Aww!!!
The Green Pepper, a pattern company I have used before and like, has pattern #537, the Frenchglen Barn Jacket, with some great hip pockets and the option to line your jacket, so that seemed like a good base.
You may not be surprised, considering what you just read, when I tell you that once I decided on a barn jacket after turning my gaze away from wool blanket coats, I decided to make this THE BEST BARN JACKET EVER! Yep, I went nuts on this idea, too. All the pockets! All the details! I compared my pattern to my favorite vintage men’s Woolrich hunting coat that I thrifted and a Dickies work jacket that I also thrifted, and my beloved wool shirt jacket that I thrifted and embellished. Ah…the planning stage is the best! All the possibilities are before you, just waiting to overwhelm you with their glory.
After indulging my planning love, I edited my ideas down. And in the end, I made a fairly normal looking jacket. Haha. So much for taking the fashion world by storm. :) That being said, there are some little details and surprising elements that I am really proud of and that keep the coat from being way too normal to suit me. I can buy normal, but I rarely want to sew it.
The goal for this project was to have it finished by January 31, 2024 so that we could actually wear our coats/jackets during the colder months. In order to accomplish this, I sat down with a cup of coffee and planned out a tentative schedule for myself, week by week, with what I wanted to accomplish. Normally I just let my sewing happen as I have time and energy, but that often means that projects drag on beyond the season they are meant for. I really wanted to try to make this deadline.
The Pattern
I bought my pattern from Field’s Fabrics on Etsy, which had cheaper shipping than ordering directly from the store. This is a unisex pattern, and my measurements put me in a size large for the bust, large/extra large for the waist, and extra large for the hip. I chose to use the square collar. In an absolutely uncharacteristic move, I made a muslin out of old sheets. I wanted to make sure my jacket would fit over other layers like sweaters, so that is how I tried on my muslin. It was pretty good. I definitely could have made it in that size, but I had a few questions. Should I lengthen the sleeves? Did I need a broad back adjustment? How about a forward shoulder adjustment?
Even more uncharacteristically, I made a second muslin in a straight extra large. I blame the fact that I was in a sewing group–didn’t want to be too much of a slacker! ;) Amazingly, the extra large took care of a lot of my fit issues. It didn’t look as fitted, but I no longer felt I needed a broad back adjustment or that a forward shoulder adjustment would make a huge difference. And the sleeves only needed maybe 1/2″ more length.
Then it was time to edit my plans for extra details. I soon nixed the idea of an interior chest pocket. The pattern came with great double pockets both inside and out at hip level, so I didn’t feel like I needed another interior pocket, and I didn’t want to weigh my fleece lining down too much. I settled on adding two outer chest pockets with flaps and a sleeve pocket.
Chest pocket
I wanted a little opening in the flap of one of the chest pockets so I could slide in the arm of my glasses or a pen or pencil.
I have this feature on my thrifted wool shirt, and it’s great. I was also hoping to use an embroidered butterfly patch I had been saving for just the right project.
The Fabric
For my outer fabric, I chose some dark olive green cotton duck canvas from Big Duck Canvas, an online store I have ordered from before. I like olive green–it goes with a lot, but isn’t the same color as most denim, so there is good contrast when I am wearing jeans. I think I ordered three yards of this fabric, which was 58″ wide and 10 oz./yard. It washed and dried great, without the color loss that I sometimes see in cotton canvas.
My lining is a Polartec ThermalPro Shearling Jersey lining fabric from Mill Yardage in NH. I really like olive green and pink, and this fabric straddles the line between a pink and light purple. I also like green and purple, so it was a win. The idea of a fun-colored lining in an otherwise utilitarian-looking jacket was so appealing! In fact, seeing this fabric on sale is part of what got me thinking about different coat options from what I had first considered.
Unfortunately, shipping such a bulky fabric has gotten pretty cost prohibitive, but luckily this place was within driving distance from where I live. My husband offered to buy it for me for a Christmas present, and I happily took him up on it and told him I would drive to pick it up. While I ordered my canvas and pattern in November and had started planning before Christmas, I knew I wouldn’t start sewing until after Christmas, so this worked out really well.
While I very briefly thought about using a more slippery fabric in the sleeves of the jacket, I didn’t consider it for long. My Woolrich hunting coat is lined entirely in flannel, and I never have trouble getting it on. Similarly, I sometimes wear fleece zip-up jackets over my sweaters, and I have no problems getting them on, so I was pretty sure I didn’t have to worry.
Notions and Extras
I really wanted all my hardware to match. I have noticed that some of the ready-to-wear clothing and bags that I like and find most striking stand out because of good details and good hardware, which means matching metal parts! I was hoping for zippers with colored zipper tape to coordinate with my lining and a metal color that would work with whatever I found for front closures. Wawak had zippers in the size I needed in a pink that would look good with my lining, and I really liked the antique brass metal option.
Buttons were my front closure of choice since they would be easy to replace if lost and would be easy to install. I didn’t want to have to worry about messing up when putting in snaps or jeans tacks or having them rip out down the line. It’s not like this is a huge problem that I regularly battle, but I was trying to think not only of problems while installing my front closures, but also being able to keep my coat in repair over the long haul. Luckily, I found some antique brass metal shank buttons from kabooco on Etsy that matched with the antique brass metal of my zippers. I even had some 5/16″ antique brass rivets that I had bought from Wawak when I was making my MidnightSUN bag. Yes!!! Total coordination!
For the ribbon to finish the inside neck edge and create a hanging loop, I found a light purple grosgrain at Joann’s that looked great with the pink/purple lining that I had.
Look how nice and clean that finish is! I even switched out my thread to match when I was sewing on the ribbon versus the canvas.
Unfortunately my grosgrain ribbon was 5/8″ instead of the 3/4″ they called for. If you are making this and run into that problem, erring on the side of wider is probably better than narrower. I could easily have used a 1″ ribbon to finish the neck. In order to get my 5/8″ ribbon to work, I offset it by 1/8″ so it would be low enough to cover things and I only barely made it. I suppose you don’t want it too wide for the hanging loop, but that’s an easier problem to solve.
My hope for the Velcro on the sleeves was that I could replace it with buttons. It seemed like those would look nicer and last longer.
Pattern Manipulation
As I mentioned before, most of my fitting issues ended up not being issues, although I did lengthen my sleeves by 1/2″. This was surprising, because it’s not a normal adjustment for me, but I’m glad I did it. They came out to be the perfect length. You’ll have to take my word for it, though, because I apparently forgot to take a picture of that. Oops!
To make my chest pockets, I took the suggestion of one of the members of the group, and made smaller versions of my hip pockets. I traced an extra set of pattern pieces, cut them in half vertically and overlapped them, taped them, and then cut them horizontally and overlapped and taped them.
Once I liked how they looked, I traced new pocket pattern pieces from the taped up bits. I did the same sort of thing with the pocket flaps, although they didn’t need to shrink as much. I also drew myself out a little patch pocket for my sleeve.
I had to recut my pocket flaps and my patch pocket once I started sewing because they weren’t quite right. I had made the flaps too short and the patch pocket too narrow to put the butterfly patch on. Once I start sewing, I confess I hate going back and re-cutting anything, but these were small fixes, and I made myself do it because I knew I would be happy with the results.
I’m not really sure why I didn’t sew that in the middle of the pocket, but oh, well!Too late now!
Cutting and Sewing
I finally cut my outer layer on January 10. From there, I just kept cutting when I had time until it was finished. On the 17th, I marked all my pieces as instructed, and started serging edges the next day. Then it was on to sewing! Finally! When sewing just canvas, I used a universal 80/12 needle and when sewing only fleece, I used a ballpoint 80/12. When it was both fabrics together, I used the universal.
At that point, I actually did sew pockets for days. There was some very dodgy topstitching during construction. Sometimes it was me–I didn’t do a perfect job, but decided I could live with it. Sometimes it was trying to sew some very tricky fabric layers. And sometimes it was that there just wasn’t enough space for all the topstitching within the given area. The nice thing about sewing for yourself, though, is that you get to decide how much imperfection you can live with, and I would usually rather have some imperfection within a finished garment than a “perfect” garment that never gets finished because you are using your seam ripper more than your sewing machine. I also realized that once I had everything sewn together and wasn’t looking at it all so closely, I wouldn’t think about it any more (and that has proven true!).
On the zipper pockets, I didn’t love the idea of my zipper facings being all fleece. I wanted to follow the directions as given because The Green Pepper’s instructions have been generally trustworthy, but this seemed like too much bulk, so I used canvas zipper facings for the outer canvas pockets and fleece zipper facings for the inner fleece pockets.
It was very tricky to hide my lining fabric underneath my outer hip pockets when sewing those to the outside of the coat. I actually preferred to have it show and would have made it more obvious except that I was worried about the fleece getting dirty over time. I love fleece, but once the lighter colors get dirty, it’s hard to get those stains out. I sort of ended up somewhere in the middle with the fleece just barely peeking out.
One of my favorite tiny details was adding the rivets below the handwarmer pocket openings on the outside instead of sewing bartacks. I know it’s small, but it looks so nice and professional to me. It makes me glad I have a bunch of rivets left from that bag project! It was hard, but I resisted the urge to put rivets all over. Oh, it was so tempting…
I worked on those dang pockets for nearly a week! I really couldn’t believe it! Now that it’s done, though, it seems worth it. I love all my amazing pockets. The outer and inner hip pockets have zippers, and the outer ones also have side-entry handwarmer pockets behind the zipper pocket. The inner hip pockets have top-opening pockets behind the zipper pockets. Love them!
With a week left to go, I got busy attaching my lining to my outer fabric. While I was happy not to constantly have to trim my excess seam allowances, using the prescribed 3/8″ and often 1/4″ seam allowances was not always easy or fun. I think, for ease of sewing, wider seam allowances might have been better, if for nothing else than to provide a more level sewing surface when joining bulky layers.
There was also a weird part with the collar. To make the collar, you cut two identical pattern pieces, sew them together, leaving the neck edge open, and then sort of make one layer stick out further at the neck edge in hopes it will help the collar roll the right way, but at that point, you’ve already topstitched the outer edges. I don’t know much about drafting and I just typically follow instructions for collar installation, but that seemed kind of weird to me. Why not make two different pattern pieces, or trim one down slightly before sewing or wait to topstitch until you have extended the undercollar? I also wonder if the collar could be a slightly different shape. It’s a rectangle, and canvas is fairly moldable, but I do feel like I am always smoothing out the fold on the finished collar. It’s fine, but I bet it could be better.
As for my sleeves, I did manage to substitute buttons for the Velcro on the sleeve tabs.
My buttonholes had to go perpendicular to the long edge of the sleeve tab because there is a seam hidden in the back of the tabs, and I didn’t want to sew buttonholes in line with that seam.
If I were doing this again, I would maybe move my sleeve tabs to a more visible place, since mine are more for show, but they are fine. Honestly, once they were done, I just didn’t feel like going back in and trying to move them.
Also, it is absolutely ridiculous to expect a home sewing machine to easily go through all the layers to sew down the pleat on the sleeve. You don’t want to skip this, because it hides the end of the sleeve tab, but it’s really bulky. I used the handwheel to walk my machine through that. It was not my best sewing, but I got through it without breaking a needle or my machine!
I sewed down the facings in the front because I hate having facings flapping around or partially open. I just imagine lint building up in the edges after years of wearing and washing the garment. I also opted to try using small buttons behind my main ones for added strength. I just happed to have some pink ones in my stash. I don’t think I have ever done it before, but I saw one of the women in the group put them on a cardigan she knitted and it seemed smart, so I wanted to try it out.
I wonder if it would have been a good idea to trim out some of the lining from the facings and hems. You really just keep them all as one and fold them up, which lends a nice squishiness to those areas, but it also seems kind of like overkill. Maybe you could trim out half of it, so it would just be two layers of canvas and one of fleece. And maybe there is something to be said for taking even generally solid instructions with a grain of salt.
On January 31st, I finished my last bits of sewing. I barely had enough thread to finish!
I added a label to an outer pocket hip flap, and then I threw my jacket in the washer and dryer.
Just like knitters wash and dry their garments before declaring them finished, I really like to wash off all the sewing marker and chalk in a sewn garment.
Final Thoughts
My assessment of this project is: solid construction with some dodgy topstitching. Hahaha. I love it. This has the warmth and feel or a really sturdy insulated shirt jacket.
While I wouldn’t expect it to keep me warm with a below zero wind chill, it’s great when the temperatures are around freezing and above. It helps that I can layer sweaters and sweatshirts underneath. I like that it’s fairly lightweight and very cozy, and the pockets are so, so awesome.
I never notice the crazy topstitching areas, and I love the butterfly patch, the “one of a kind” label from Kylie and the Machine, and the fact that even though it looks fairly normal on the outside, it has a brightly-colored lining on the inside.
It’s just possible that I have been wearing it for the past week, and telling people that I made it, even people that I don’t know that well. I’m so excited to have finished it, and my sewing enthusiasm knows few bounds. I won’t say no bounds. I’m sure there are boundaries somewhere. But not in wearing what I have made. :D
I’m so thankful that I was invited to participate in this group, or I never would have made this jacket. After all my years of thrifting jackets that *almost* fit, it’s really nice to have a slightly longer jacket that does fit.
It’s back to sewing this week with a blouse I made quickly back in May and June. This is the Roscoe Blouse from True Bias. Within this pattern, there is also the option to make a dress in two different lengths, which I have not yet tried. The blouse is fairly quick and easy to make and is nice to wear from spring through fall.
I made this top for a purpose besides my normal one of wanting a specific garment or wanting to try out a pattern or fabric. I was gearing up to go to my first ever Pattern Review Weekend on June 9 and 10 (2023) in Lowell, MA. There was going to be an upcycle/recycle contest and I wanted to join in, even if, by the time I was thinking about entering, it was too late to come up with anything very complex.
Providentially, I found a vintage linen bedsheet at Todd Farm flea market in Rowley, MA on Sunday, May 28, where I sometimes go before church. Despite a few tiny holes, it was a beautiful piece of cloth.
There were a few holes like this throughout the sheet, but nothing too bad.
I already had this pattern traced and prepped in my size from when I made it in yellow linen. It didn’t need any adjustments, and I love my yellow shirt, so I decided this was it. If I had the extra time, I thought I could include some embroidery and maybe some mending of the small holes, either visibly or invisibly.
Unfortunately, the embellishments were not to be, but I did finish the top in time for the contest!
The finished blouse
I loved finishing my seams with French seams and creating an inside that was as beautiful as the outside. This shirt is simple enough, that even when sewing quickly, that doesn’t feel like a burden.
Roscoe Blouse, inside front
Roscoe Blouse, inside back
Inside sleeve details
Inside neckline detail
I stitched the neck opening up a few inches higher with some embroidery floss, to make it a more comfortable depth for me, and I was done!
This was my second attempt at a simple neck closure.
The fabric is slightly sheer, so I prefer to wear an undershirt or camisole with it. Overall, it’s a great shirt!
I didn’t win the contest, but I got to enter, which was really fun. I loved seeing everyone’s entries, and now I have another top that I love.
These two clothing items were a lot of fun plus a little frustration to make, but more on that in a bit. I made both of them as options for my May trip to the Brimfield Antique Show on a tight deadline. Normally I shy away from such timelines, but I decided to challenge myself…and I did it!
I made pants, shorts, and a t-shirt, which I’ll tell you about in another post. It was so much fun to try to sew as much and as fast as I could, and actually succeed. It really revved up my sewjo, and now I want to sew all the things EVEN MORE THAN I DID BEFORE. Sigh. I love making clothes for myself.
I have made the Clyde Work Pant pattern before, in a rust colored linen. That pair of pants was not without its problems, but nevertheless, I really like them and enjoy wearing them. I have wanted to try the pattern again with modifications for some time now. I’ve even had the fabric (a gift from my husband) since last fall. He bought me some “Mint Green” Robert Kaufman Ventana Twill on Amazon, which arrived not in continuous yardage, but in pieces. Not good. So, he told me to get a replacement at Pintuck & Purl’s Makers’ Day sale, which I was very happy to do (in the color “Fox“). 😉 Also, Amazon later sent us continuous yardage, so that was really lovely. I could make at least two pairs of pants or shorts. Yay!
While I love my first pair of Clyde pants in a size 16, average length, the rise was always a bit too long for where I wanted to wear them, so I made plans to shorten the rise by two inches and add that length back into the legs since the overall length was good. I adjusted my pattern, using Sewing Pants That Fit from the Singer Sewing Reference Library (pages 52 and 53 in my edition), hoping that I hadn’t forgotten anything, but I ran into a curious problem. I didn’t walk my seams, which is when you compare seamlines that will be sewn together to see if their lengths match after altering them. If I had, I would have found that my vertical seams didn’t actually match. After sewing everything together, the back and the corners of the front panels were higher than the side panels.
The back was almost an inch higher than the sides.
The edges of the front panels were also taller than the sides.
I trimmed them off my pants, but this gave me a bit of a too-low-in-the-back situation. They were still wearable, but not quite optimal. HOWEVER, I could tell I was on the right track, and that was encouraging. It turns out I should have only shortened the side panels by an inch, while shortening the backs and fronts by two inches. I still don’t completely understand why, but that’s what would have worked.
Front
Back
The other issue I had was with my elastic. I used two inch wide underwear and pajama elastic because I had it in my stash, and even though I tightened it much more than called for, the pants don’t feel quite secure.
This made me realize I really need to learn more about elastic. I found this helpful post on the Melly Sews blog after I had finished and hope to use the information in the future. This is definitely an area I can improve in.
Inside front
Inside back
After finishing my pants, I felt that I had a handle on what I wanted from the fit, and I wondered if I could crank out a pair of shorts in the time I had left. This time I made the rise length adjustments just right. I was so happy. But guess what? I didn’t walk my inseams, and they didn’t match. Ugh. I hadn’t learned my lesson after all.
Front
Back
Maybe you’re wondering how I made the shorts? Here are the details: I shortened the pockets by drawing a straight line across from bottom corner to bottom corner, removing the curve at the bottom.
Inside front
Inside back
I had planned to hem them at the original pocket length, but when I realized that my inseams didn’t match up, I essentially made slightly wedge-shaped facings that I turned under to hem the legs. This made the finished length slightly longer than the original pocket length and fully enclosed the various seams of my patch job.
That was fortuitous, because I found I liked this length better.
The rise was much better on these shorts than it had been on the pants, and whatever elastic I used seems better, too. I can’t remember what elastic I used, so maybe I got it right, or maybe it has to do with the fact that shorts don’t have as much fabric weight as pants do. For a size 16 pair of shorts, I used about 1.5 yards. This fabric is 44″ wide.
As far as the Ventana Twill goes, I really love how it looks and feels for this pattern. It’s much more durable than the linen I used last time, and is substantial without being heavy. The only downside has been that the high friction area has pilled after only a few months. Luckily, it’s not in an area anyone can see.
Of course, now that I have these almost right, and because I do actually love these fun pants and shorts, I kind of want to make another pair of each to see if I can really nail the fit and elastic choice. I’d also love to write up real directions for how to make the shorts for the blog, but I have no idea if I will actually ever do either of those things.
Hi, everyone! It’s fall! Yay! While I still have a few summer projects to show you, time really got away from me this week, and I didn’t get a chance to take pictures of them. What I do have pictures of, though, are a few projects perfect for the start of fall: two more Twig + Tale leaf blankets and a quick upcycle. All of these projects are almost a year old (yikes!), but just haven’t made it to the blog yet.
I have blogged about Twig + Tale leaf blankets before (maple leaf; monstera leaves; fan, banana, and elephant ear leaf blankets). They are really fun to make and come in a ton of shapes as well as multiple sizes. I love how each finished blanket looks so much like an actual leaf. I know I shouldn’t really be surprised–it says what they are right in the name, but I’m always delighted when I finish one.
Last October, I whipped up a Quaking Aspen Leaf Blanket from the North American collection for a friend that was visiting. I used a golden corduroy left over from some pants I made since aspen leaves turn yellow, and for the other side, I used the last scraps of this bit of green blanket someone gave me years ago.
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I also used it on my own Monstera Leaf blanket (which I still love and use all the time). This blanket came together really fast, as these blankets all do, and was a fun present to give my friend.
The other leaf blanket I made was the English Oak from the European Collection. I wanted a blanket to use on our couch, and I let my husband pick which leaf shape he liked best since he loves trees. I used a cream twill originally from Fabric Mart that I have used in many projects, and I backed it with a mystery home dec fabric that feels like cotton.
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My mystery fabric has a herringbone texture to it which I’ve always liked.
I have probably had this fabric since before I began sewing regularly. I really had to piece it together to make it work!
While I like the shape of the oak leaf blanket, I don’t love the finished object as much as the others that I have made. I think it’s something with my fabric choice. It’s good functionally, but it’s just not my favorite one. Still, it works well, and I’m glad I made it.
One other project I did last October was a quick little upcycle. Sometimes it’s the details that make a garment, and that was the case here. I thrifted a nice flannel shirt for my husband, but it wasn’t quite his style, so I kept it for myself. I liked it, but it kind of needed something. I realized that if I just changed out the buttons for some really fun ones, it would give the shirt a distinctive detail without much work required and would make it more interesting and fun to wear.
Of course, this completely dovetailed with my desire to try out some of the super fun buttons by Tabitha Sewer that Pintuck & Purl had in stock. Yes! I chose some that are neon pink with neon orange edges…or maybe neon orange with pink edges? These buttons aren’t cheap, so ironically, my “small details” cost more than the shirt, but oh, well. Tabitha Sewer has so many fun buttons, but so far I have held off buying more until I have a specific project for them. Adding some to this shirt turned it from something a little too normal into something really fun! That also means I wear it a lot more. I am so motivated by good colors in my creative work. I just love the fun they bring.
All these projects are great for fall! Have you tried making a leaf blanket? Do you have favorite details you add to bring a garment from just ok to extra special? Let me know!
Today I’m bringing you a pretty popular pattern (and some alliteration, all for free!). Simplicity 9388, a unisex shirt jacket in three lengths, has been well-received in the sewing community since its release.
I like making button up shirts and jackets that aren’t too tricky, so this was on my radar. When I got some Shetland Flannel Speckle in the “Steel” color by Robert Kaufman, it seemed like an ideal match.
Fabric & Notions
This flannel is 95% cotton and 5% polyester. It’s 44″ wide and 6.4 oz/square yard. It’s listed on Robert Kaufman’s site as being 2-ply and therefore “stronger and loftier”. It really is a nice flannel, as all the flannels I have ever used from Robert Kaufman have been. It fluffs up a bit in the wash and, my favorite part, contains little flecks of colors–green, blue, pink, orange, and white.
Look at those bits of color! Yay!
Mine was a Christmas gift from my husband and came from Amazon. He bought me four yards, and after making this shirt jacket, I have 16″ full width left, plus some odd-shaped extra bits.
You only need a tiny bit of lining for the inside of the yoke, so I looked in my stash and chose a bit of gray cotton lawn by Cotton + Steel. I can’t remember for sure, but I probably bought it at Pintuck & Purl several years ago.
Other than that, I found thread, interfacing, and buttons at Joann’s. I really thought hard on the buttons, spending a lot of time online looking at options, but in the end, Joann’s had just what I wanted. While I had thought something neon or bright would be the ticket, it was this medium pink that looked the best.
My favorite detail on this shirt is the “L” patch from Wildflower and Company on Etsy.
This was also a gift, and went great with the shirt. It was easy to iron on and instructions were included to ensure success. After adhering it, I stitched around the outside with regular thread in my bobbin and clear nylon thread in my needle. If you haven’t used nylon thread before, it looks a lot like lightweight fishing line, but comes on a spool. I have a really old spool that was given to me by a friend. This stuff pretty much lasts forever, and is great extra insurance on something like this embroidered patch that will definitely go through the laundry on a regular basis.
I did have one tool failure–and this is something I have seen in several cases, unfortunately. Using a yellow Chaco liner on white/light material is probably a gamble that won’t end well.
I don’t know if this happens with all the Chaco liner colors, but I have used the yellow on cream fabric and it has never washed out. I helped with a class once where someone made white jeans and couldn’t get it out. Now I notice that I can still see my marks even on this medium gray, even though I have washed it since making it. I absolutely love my yellow Chaco liner for its ease of use, and I really don’t have problems with it on darker colors, but it just doesn’t seem to come out of lighter colors.
See that yellow streak? It’s not the worst ever, but it will probably never come out.
The Pattern
I chose to make View B in a large for the bust/chest and waist and an extra large for the hips.
You can see where I graded out a size for the hips on the left edge of the pattern piece.
Here’s a close-up
I thought about trying the shortest view (View C), but I really wanted hip pockets, and View C omits those.
This pattern was nice to sew without any real surprises, and it felt like it came together fairly quickly. I like the front chest and hip pockets and love how the lining on the inside of the yoke looks.
Inside front. You can tell I have been wearing this because…wrinkles! haha
Inside back–love that lined yoke.
One of the few things I didn’t like is that, at this length, the hip pockets finish just above the hem, so if you put your hands or something heavy in the pockets, they will hang down beneath the edge of the jacket. To fix that, I topstitched my pockets to the front, following the seam line from the inside. They aren’t perfectly even, but it’s not noticeable unless you are trying to notice it. While I prefer the look of the jacket without this topstitching, it doesn’t look bad and it completely solves the problem.
Pockets! And now that they are topstitched, they don’t hang down!
One thing that was a little different from a lot of shirts that I sew is that this pattern has a one-piece collar and the button plackets extend past the edge of the collar. It give the shirt jacket a slightly different look from a regular shirt. I also like the seam line over the chest pockets. It’s a good detail.
This shirt jacket has, in my opinion, the perfect amount of ease to wear over other shirts or a light sweater, and I could see making this in other cotton flannels or, even better, in wool.
Sewing is so exciting!!!
If you look around on the internet, you can see a lot of versions of this pattern, including an amazing version in red faux fur by Yoga Byrd over on the Minerva.com website (hopefully that link works).
While I started this in the winter (And maybe finished it in the winter? I can’t remember…), it’s a great transitional piece for spring. I have worn it a lot, and am so glad I made it.
There’s nothing like a garment you have made yourself when it comes to the ideal fit. And if you find fitting difficult, persevere! You’ll get there! With practice, even if we can’t make everything fit perfectly, we can usually get things closer to what we want than store-bought clothes.
I like the idea of being able to make an entire outfit. Do I want to make all of my own clothes? Not really. But do I want to be able to make all the types of clothes I might wear on a given day? Yes!
I have ventured into most areas of clothes making. Socks are one area I don’t visit a lot. I made a few pairs back in my first knitting phase, and I have sewn socks, but since picking knitting back up, I have more or less avoided socks. Rather than making one thing, I would have to make a pair. I wasn’t too sure I wanted to or that I would have the will to make both socks.
After I got a few sweaters under my belt, though, I realized that if I can knit two sleeves, I can definitely knit two socks. They are typically even smaller than sleeves! I was also inspired by my Mom, who is one of my knitting buddies, and who has gotten really good at socks. I needed to give this a try.
Drea Renee Knits Sparks Socks
Last year my Mom and I decided to knit the Drea Renee Knits Sparks socks pattern at the same time.
This is a stranded colorwork sock pattern with two colors. We’re both big fans of Drea Renee Knits patterns, and stranded colorwork is my favorite type of knitting so far. I had some Hedgehog Fibres sock yarn from when I first discovered their yarn (and speckled, hand-dyed yarn in general) that I wanted to use. There was a white mini skein with speckles of green, blue, pink, and purple in it that I used at the top of my socks, and a larger white skein with pink, purple, and black speckles that I used for the rest of the sock. That skein was actually reclaimed from a cowl that I frogged (ripped out). I can’t find the colorway name of the mini skein, but the larger skein was called “Cheeky”. I paired these with some Cascade Heritage yarn (colorway: “Real Black“) from Wool & Co. because I love that high contrast. All yarn was superwash wool combined with nylon for strength. The Hedgehog Fibres Yarn originally came from Pintuck & Purl.
Making the socks was fun, and I learned a lot. The design is cool and interesting, and the heels and toes look pretty. I really like all the tips and support designer Andrea Mowry puts into her patterns because there are a lot of things to know in knitting, and those tips and YouTube videos make it easy to learn as you go, no matter your level.
In making these particular socks, I made a few…mistakes? Accidental design choices? I don’t know. I’m a loose knitter, so I sized down to some tiny needles (US 1 and US 0), but nevertheless, my socks came out a little too large…definitely too large to wear out and about every day. No matter. They could be sleep socks. I usually wear socks when I go to bed and then, as my feet warm up, I kick them off. Their looseness made them perfect for this.
These are much looser than they look here
The other thing I did was accidentally reverse the colors on the second sock. It’s hard to remember what I was thinking because it looks like I redrew the color chart like I usually do so that I wouldn’t get mixed up, but somewhere along the line, I spaced out, and they are opposites. When I realized what I had done, I had to laugh. There are definitely socks out there that are made this way on purpose, and they look cool, but this was 100% a mistake on my part. Haha.
Hm…Something seems different between these two
Sock opposites!
Since they are superwash and already too big, I have thrown them in the washer and laid them out to dry, and they have done great. I think they may have even accidentally gone through the dryer once or twice. They are pretty pilly at this point, but that’s easy to fix. They’re holding up great.
I used these as a sort of slow-and-steady, easy project since a lot of the pattern is knit 2, purl 2 ribbing. They were the project I brought along when I was listening to a speaker or knitting in front of the TV or in the car, and I worked on them slowly little by little over several months.
Come to think of it, I have done a lot of knit 2, purl 2 ribbing over the last year across three different projects and I discovered a few things.
1. I like doing this kind of repetitive ribbing best when knitting Continental rather than English style.
2. I also find it a lot more fun if I am using an interesting (rather than a plain) yarn.
Two of my three ribbing-filled projects have used a plain yarn, but these socks were more fun because I was using this great speckled sock yarn (colorway: “Pixie on a Bender“) from Birch Dyeworks for most of it. For the rest, I used a mini skein that I had which was also from Birch Dyeworks (colorway: “Mom’s Hot Pants“). The speckled skein, which is a white and pink base filled with pink, green, black, purple, yellow, blue, and even the occasional trace of orange was a gift from Maggie at Pintuck & Purl. Back when I used to work there we made plans to knit socks together so I could learn two-at-a-time Magic Loop*, where you knit two socks at once. Well…we didn’t get beyond about an inch and a half and the two-at-a-time technique never cemented itself in my brain. Even though those socks never materialized, I got to keep the yarn, and have always wanted to put it to good use. And those speckles really kept it fun.
My knitting was tighter on these socks, which I was happy about, so they are only slightly loose, and work great as everyday socks in general. I have worn them a few times, and I’m not sure yet if I like them as much as store-bought socks or not. When I first put them on, I can feel the texture of the sock under the front part of my foot, and I don’t love it. As I go along, I stop noticing it, but the jury is still out on whether or not I love handmade socks for everyday wear. I do love them on cold days with slippers, though!
This pattern was fun, I learned some interesting new things, and while I like the look of the Afterthought Heel in the Sparks socks better, both were great to knit. I like being able to have contrasting toes, heels, and cuffs, and both patterns allow for that in different ways.
It was also interesting to see what a dramatic difference blocking made in the look of the finished socks. Even though they are not at all necessary, I bought some Bryspun sock blockers by Bryson from Pintuck & Purl before finishing these. You can get a sense of how the socks looked before blocking in this picture of them soaking.
The socks look longer and skinnier before blocking. I soak them in lukewarm water with a small amount of store brand baby shampoo before rinsing and drying them.
Now they look more like socks!
After knitting both of these, I feel like I have a good handle on using Magic Loop to knit one sock at a time. *If you haven’t heard of it, Magic Loop is a technique wherein you use a long circular knitting needle to knit smaller-circumference things in the round rather than using double pointed needles (DPNs). I’m fine with double pointed needles, but I am really glad I learned to knit this way too. I never really thought I would like it better than using DPNs, but I think I may be starting to.
Now that my DRK Everyday Socks are done, I’m trying to finish up a cowl I started in a class I took as well as a sweater. After that? Probably some Speedy Selbu mittens…just time time for Spring! Haha.
This is a free pattern for women and girls that comes with 28 sizes–pretty impressive! That is typical of Jalie’s patterns, making them a great value for money. I haven’t worn turtlenecks/roll-neck shirts in a few years, so I thought I would use this pattern to do a little scrap-busting and try the style out.
Like my last two sweaters (Engle and Wool & Honey), this pattern has a boxy/square body and fitted sleeves. Unlike those sweaters, however, this pattern has a drop-sleeve. I guess this is the year of that fun but odd silhouette for me! It’s not my favorite silhouette, but it’s interesting and comfortable. I used a green wool/Lycra jersey that I got from Fabric Mart Fabrics a number of years ago for my top and some navy and flower print cotton/Lycra jersey for a kid-sized top. I can’t remember where I got the navy, but the flower knit is an old Cotton + Steel fabric that I got from Pintuck & Purl some time ago.
For my top, my measurements put me in size Z for the bust and BB for the waist and hip. Because this is a boxy style, I opted to make a straight size Z. For the kid shirt, I made a straight size N. I used my serger for the main seams and my sewing machine for the hems.
The tops were pretty easy to sew. There weren’t any points where the instructions were unclear or where things got tricky, making this a nice, quick project.
Jalie’s instructions come in French and English and are not extensive, but are clear. This free and simple pattern would be a great way to get a feel for the company if you are interested in trying their patterns. While I haven’t tried many of their patterns, I know I can turn to them when I want a reasonable cost for a LOT of sizes and professional results, especially if I want to make activewear.
Let’s get back to the tops! The hems came out much better in the cotton/Lycra than in my thin wool/Lycra jersey where I ended up with some tunneling and scrunching.
Still, you only really see that up close, and it doesn’t affect the fit at all. The neck is a double layer of fabric, which both looks and feels good.
These tops turned out to be nice and comfy, and while I’m sort of over the whole extreme dropped sleeve look, I’m happy I made them and tried this pattern out.
I like how they look in the cotton better than in the wool, as this thin jersey, while comfortable, attracts lots of fuzzies, and is slightly on the pukey side of spring green. Still, it’s a great layering piece that will work in any sort of cool weather, and I do love having a few wool jersey tops in my wardrobe. I’ve made one other shirt in this fabric, which you can see here.
Look! It’s blue sky! (The photo shoots get silly more often than not.)
If I were to make this again, I would consider cotton/Lycra or a slightly heavier weight wool/Lycra . That’s not a “rule” of any sort, just my feelings after making this in these two different substrates.
Interestingly enough, Tessuti has a very similar free pattern, the Monroe Turtleneck, which you could also try if you are thinking of making a top like this, although it doesn’t have the extensive size range Jalie does. It would be fun to make both and compare them. If this is a style you are into, this is a great pattern. I like it, but don’t absolutely love it, although I do really like Jalie as a pattern company, and hope to make many more of their patterns in the future.
Here’s something a little different–a knitting project. In fact, it’s an unblogged sweater from 2019! I do have some fall sewing projects to show you, but I need to take some pictures first, so instead we have a summer sweater.
Just like so many knitters, I fell for the Soldotna Crop sweater by Boyland Knitworks when it came out. A short-sleeved sweater is kind of a funny thing to knit, but when I saw this, I saw my opportunity to knit a sweater that was cropped and short-sleeved, requiring less yarn (and therefore less money for supplies). It was also an opportunity to dig into another colorwork project. After a few stranded knitting colorwork projects, I was in love.
Before I started sewing, I knitted. And with one very well-fitting exception, all the sweaters I made were massive. There was a lot I didn’t know that I’m learning now. Anyway, after taking two years to knit a sweater for my husband that was still massive after I intentionally shrunk it in the washer and dryer, I was done. (Check out my Craft Fails if you want to see the sweater.) After hanging around Pintuck & Purl for a few years, though, I got slowly sucked back in by all the amazing knitters that I kept meeting there.
I started thinking about color and value (i.e. darkness and lightness of each color) and tested out my ideas by tracing an image of a finished sweater, scanning it into the computer, and using it as my own little coloring page. My goals were to use colors that I loved in a range of values similar to the original. Having good value contrast can really make a design stand out, even more than the color can.
Looking at the original in both color and black and white helped me figure out where I wanted to place my colors.
Once I had that figured out, I colored my picture and redrew the pattern chart with my colors in it so I wouldn’t get confused while knitting.
I initially chose an inexpensive synthetic yarn, Berroco Comfort DK, but the colors weren’t exactly what I wanted. Sweaters are so expensive to knit, and I was trying to keep the cost down, but I just wasn’t happy with my purchase. That being said, I do really like this yarn and have since used it to make a few hats.
So, I returned what I could of the Berroco yarn and eventually got what I really wanted from Pintuck & Purl, Mirasol Pima Kuri DK Cotton Yarn.
You can see all the colors I considered, followed by a grayscale picture that helped me pick the ones I wanted based on their values.
Part of the joy of colorwork for me is the colors and I loved these. My choices (left to right): Smoky Mountain, Cabernet, Lime Twist, and Adventurine.
I made a few good-sized swatches in the round in part of the colorwork pattern and then threw a swatch in the washer and dryer, which was how I wanted to block/care for my finished sweater. After it was done I measured it, and my husband ran the numbers through Excel so we could check what size sweater the gauge I had knitted at would give me, accounting for shrinkage after blocking. Once I thought I had what I wanted, I cast on. I was nervous, but I really wanted to try, so I went for it. I cast on sometime in March 2019 and worked on it little by little over the summer.
I knitted a size L, which turned out well. My measurements put me in a L, except for the arms, which I should have knit in a 2XL, but I did a straight L, and it was fine. The neck area is a bit odd and is not as open as the picture on the pattern.
If I were to do this all over again, I would cast on closer to the start of the colorwork and just have a small roll neck.
I have noticed that my gauge tends to loosen over time, which works great for a sweater knitted from the top down, as it will naturally get a little larger near my hips. I lengthened this a bit, since the cropped original version was just too cropped for me. Once I had knitted down to my high hip, I finished things off.
Below is a picture of the inside before I wove in my ends.
I tried the sweater on after binding off and…IT FIT!!!! Now, I won’t tell you there are no mistakes (there are), and the back of the neck it a little weird, but…I LOVE THIS SWEATER. I had MADE a sweater, and it FIT. I was over the moon. For a long time, I just kept it out so I could look at it every time I walked by. It looks good as a t-shirt, and also works as a vest-type sweater over a collared shirt. With this sweater, I think I finally broke the curse of the too-big sweaters. 😉
Hi, sewing friends. Today’s project is a simple top with a lot of potential depending on what view you make or what fabric you make it in.
It’s the Roscoe Blouse from True Bias, a pattern that has proven very popular in the sewing community. It also has mini dress/tunic and dress views built in.
I held out for a long time before buying this pattern as I already have a pattern in the same style, but with a different fit (New Look 6472, blogged here). Finally, during a sale at Pintuck & Purl, I saw shopowner Maggie’s silk version, and I went for it and got the pattern for myself.
It’s no secret that I love positive ease, and this pattern has lots of it. The really lovely consequences of that design choice are that it is easy to fit and looks great in a number of drapey fabric substrates. For my first version, I chose to use some midweight “designer quality” linen from Fabric Mart Fabrics that I had originally planned to make into a skirt. I really love this fabric, and it is one that they regularly carry (although the color I used is currently unavailable), so this is now my second sewing project using it. (My first project was a dress, McCall’s 7774, blogged here.) It is easy to sew, substantial without being heavy, and AMAZING to wear. An added bonus is that the only supplies required are fabric and thread–no interfacing, snaps, buttons, or elastic.
I made view A, the blouse, in a size 16, even though my hip measurement was a 16/18. I didn’t have to do a broad back adjustment or anything. Yay!!!
It’s so rare that I can just trace a single size and cut it out.
The instructions were clear and easy to read. I chose to finish my edges with French seams, which are so satisfying and beautiful.
I accidentally put my neckline binding on the wrong way, and ended up topstitching it down on the outside instead of the less visible recommended finish, but I really liked it that way, so I decided to do the same thing on my sleeve bindings.
It was love at first try-on, although I did put a few stitches in near the bottom of the neckline slit to raise it just a little higher for my own comfort and modesty. I found I liked that better than wearing a camisole underneath.
Neckline detail view from inside
Fewer layers also preserved the glorious breeziness of this top, which I first wore on a warm and sunny fall day. I love the look of this best tucked in, and for that I would maybe consider making the shirt even longer to keep it tucked in better, but only maybe, as it’s fairly long already. It’s also very comfortable to wear untucked.
I can see what the hype is all about with this pattern. It’s a joy to make and to wear.
The Roscoe is a warm-weather dream in linen with its loose fit and roomy, slightly shortened sleeves, and I suspect that it would also be pretty nice in cooler temperatures with lengthened sleeves in a cozy cotton flannel, although that wouldn’t have the drape of a linen or a rayon. Hm… Maybe some of the drapier wool fabrics? I’d love to try the tunic and dress views as well. All in all, I’m really happy I tried this pattern, and it would be a pleasure to make more versions of it in the future.
Pattern and Branch 