One stitch at a time... Aster progress

Hi all!

I'm trying to keep myself together during the last weeks of the academic year while feeling rather disconnected from it all. I took the General Surgery exam today which was a complete disaster that left me physically drained, so I couldn't finish the Aster I started, but a stitch a day will eventually result in a complete garment. I often expect that surgery will make sense to me, just as sewing usually does, but the reality is different. While nothing in medicine is ever black and white multiple choice questions tend to focus on the grey area in which choosing the "correct" answer is sometimes impossible; especially if you're the kind of person that always overthink things and don't accept "raw edges" in anything in life. I'm trying to remind myself that unlike these weird and crazy exams in real life I can sometimes find a place where I belong, and manage scenarios much better... and maybe I should also work on that "raw edges" thing. Imperfection can be perfect in its own way.

Back to sewing - I bought the Aster pattern immediately upon its release, a very rare impulse purchase, because at the time I was looking for a button down (or up? can you please explain the difference?) pattern that is less boxy and casual than the Archer, and also a pattern that offers short sleeves with cuffs along with the traditional long sleeve (with a tower placket!). The only down side of the pattern is the C cup bust that it is drafted for. I usually make a Small Bust Adjustment on my tops anyway (to correct the standard B cup to my AA), but I was afraid the pattern will not suit my body type, being drafted for a more traditional woman figure than mine. 

the Small Bust Adjustment for the Aster recommends the sewer to choose the size based on the circumference of the full bust corrected to a C cup. According to this I should have made a size 4 or 6, based on my "corrected" bust measurement (I have a 85cm full bust, with 85cm upper bust. true story). After overthinking it (for months) I decided to go with a size 2 according to my true full bust measurement with 1 cm extra, and do a 0.5" SBA on each front. Despite what it appears to be, sewing isn't pure math... 

Instead of sewing a complete muslin I decided to try a quick test garment with the only piece of stash fabric I don't really like - I got it from a friend's mother, while the print is crazy in a good way, the fabric itself feels like plastic. 

Despite breaking all the sewing rules, neglecting all the notches and not pressing any of the seams, the more progress I make the more I like this shirt. I only have the hem and buttons to complete and it might end up a wearable garment!

I feel stupid for putting off this project just because I was afraid from making a mistake - cutting the wrong size and ruining good fabric. The more I read about fabric waste and the ecological impact the more guilt I feel towards my NEED to create with PHYSICAL MATERIAL. I can't live only on the virtual world and fabric is like air to me. Depriving myself of it just because I'm afraid to increase my ecological footprint is such a burden, so is avoiding new patterns just because they might not suit me. At the end re-sewing TNTs or only attempting shape-less garments that require little to no fitting is not fun. It is extremely practical, but not crafty. Working on a new pattern and not thinking too much about the end result is so liberating. Like a child crafting in the present and not worrying about the space it will occupy in the world and such.

So with that positive spirit I'll leave you with a picture of me trying on my almost-complete Aster proudly worn over my me-made pajamas (city gym shorts, and a tank from a slip pattern).

I thought of sewing another Aster (the practicality!) but after a successful challenge I would like another... Now I'm thinking of sewing the Victoria blazer using a colorful bright floral I have in my stash. What do you think?

Strathcona by Thread Theory - endless possibilities

Hi all!

I know Matt and Morgan from Thread Theory have a discount on their Strathcona pattern and since I've made this pattern many times I thought I'd share my versions. While this pattern is designed for men, my first make resulted in one of my favorite loose-fitting shirts ever and many versions followed. Some are still in progress, waiting for mojo (=I can't bring myself to cut the welts, as you'll see below) or for a change of thread color on the overlocker. While I've never blogged about these makes, I did try to take some pictures. Some pictures are rather old, and some are selfies in front or our mirror (dirty-mirror selfies used to be legit blog pics a few years ago!), but it will have to do.

Following my first try, I used the only knit fabric in my stash at the time to make this version: 

  

The fabric was bought to make D a Strathcona but I really wanted to make another version for myself and the only garment he ever asked me to make him is a button down shirt (I'm waiting for a pattern so D is still waiting for a shirt), so I went for it. This version is still un-hemmed but I wear it all the time. I added sleeve bands and narrowed the sleeves, and I like the puffy look of it. I started with size M but changed the shoulders and narrowed both the back and the front, so I have no idea what size it is now. D is wearing his jeans version of the Jedediah pattern, btw.

I also played with the back neckline, tried to lower it considerably but the end result is more of a low boat neck rather than the design I was going for: 

Even though I wanted a lower back neckline I still like the end result because it's low enough to be irregular but high enough so the bra doesn't show. The pictures were taken during a hike we took, so they demonstrate how well this tshirt fits in my wardrobe. 

Following this successful experiment I went on and made another one: 

I tried to avoid unfortunate pattern placement, but got into some trouble when I realized the pattern was completely off grain. It took me a while to identify the problem, it appears that the vertical and horizontal lines don't meet in exactly right angle. As a result I couldn't win this game and ended up with a weird pattern going diagonally. I got used to it after a while, and people don't seem to notice it anyway. Both tshirts are in constant rotation and have the perfect silhouette for dance lessons (I dance flamenco).

At this point the weather started to change and the days became colder (yep... It was 6 months ago). Considering I had only a few winter clothes (have no idea how this happened) I had become an overlocker monster and started sewing knits as if my life depended on it. I went to the textile district with the sole goal of purchasing enough knit fabric to create a  variety of winter clothes so I can lengthen my laundry cycle (my life-goal is 2 weeks, currently at 10 days so I'm getting there!). I wanted to play with the Strathcona and see how it would look in different types of fabric, and also expend the variety of materials with which I work. For the next make I tried a sweater knit in purple, and the result is still one of my favorite garments and is in constant rotation:

Worn here with my moss skirt, a garment I finished ages ago but never written about, and secret pajamas in the form of fleece leggings. Other accessories are a grumpy face and tired eyes, it was cold, early in the morning, and a work-day, so... I'm not giant, btw, our fridge is rather small. I love sleeves in unusual lengths so for this version I used the original sleeve length of the Strathcona, which is super long for my frame. I added cuffs and I like the extra material bunching around my wrists. The cuffs also help in preventing wind from freezing me on my way to work so it's a win!

After yet another successful version I wanted to push it, test if I could hack the pattern and create raglan sleeves. 

The first result of this experiment is this grey sweatshirt (if you look close enough you'll notice I'm wearing it over the purple version, and a red version which was a fail):

 

When I first tried it on, I felt I was wearing an armor rather than the cuddly grey sweatshirt I was going for and I didn't know if I'll keep it or give it away. After 3 months of constant wear the fabric had softened considerably, and I finally hemmed it. The fabric is a bit strange: it has almost no stretch (except for the mechanical stretch of the knit), and it unravels a bit which is very unusual for a knit fabric. 

To test the raglan again I tried another version with sweater knit:

 

I used matching ribbing (all the starts aligned and I found matching ribbing!) and matched the pattern across the raglan seams. I wear it and I like it, but not as much as the purple version. in hindsight set-in sleeves could have been a better choice for this fabric. Also I'm freezing in this picture, it was taken during a snow day while I was sewing brocade ultimate trousers and wanted a picture to help me judge the fit. It's a story for another post though.

After experimenting with the raglan variation my verdict is - next time I'll use the Linden pattern. Jen is an alchemist when it comes to everyday clothes and I want to try her raglan pattern!

I did however tried another hack of the Strathcona. Using my raglan variation I wanted to make a bomber jacket. I had a blue version of the grey fabric in my first raglan try and floral neoprene in my stash, both perfect for this experiment. I hacked the raglan some more, and while both version are still in progress I think I'll like the end result:

both versions are worn here with go-to knit pants, a pattern I'll review soon. In order to achieve better fit across the shoulders I added a shoulder dart, and narrowed the front some more. At this point there's barely any resemblance between the current pattern and the original Strathcona, I guess you can call it pattern evolution. 

I'm stuck here, because I can't decide on the welt pockets placement. Additionally I want to draft the pocket bags in such a way they'll be caught in both the zipper seam and the bottom band seam. I still need to draft the facings and decide what to do with the lining. Both versions are stretchy, and I don't want the lining to compromise mobility. I think I'll do a partial lining - only line the body of the jacket and leave the sleeves un-lined. I'll add a pleat at the back to increase mobility. I'm in no rush, though, and don't mind having a few UFO's sitting around waiting for my mojo. I rather take my time than end up with a garment I'm not happy with.

The weather is colder than expected, but my sewing list includes a couple more versions of Strathcona with short sleeves and cuffs once I find fabric I like. I love everything about this pattern and am looking forward to future variations.

Please tell me I'm not alone here with my womenized Strathconas!

One Week One Pattern - my reflections

First I should come clean and say I wore my self drafted boat neck tops for only 5 days.On the first day of the challenge I forgot it was September 6th and wore a date night dress (for a morning coffee date) and on the last day I was shadowing doctors in a medical institute as part of my studies so I wore scrubs. As much as I think these awful scrubs deserve some scrutinizing (seriously, these things are unisex and the crotch on the pants is designed exclusively for men. I look like a big pile of sea foam when I wear it), lets concentrate on five days of OWOP for this post.

The gist of OWOP, one-week-one-pattern, is to wear variations of the same pattern for a duration of a week, and get creative in mixing and matching garments to get the most out of an existing pattern. For me this challenge isn't about having 7 garments made from the same pattern and wearing them for a week, which is mostly what I did this time, and thus I don't think I succeeded in the challenge very much. I love the idea of taking a versatile garment and dressing it up or down to create a variety of outfits suited for different occasions.  However by the third day of the challenge it had become clear to me that my work-wardrobe was rather boring and I had very little versatility in my daily outfits.

I currently have five tops from the same pattern (self-drafted), two of which are from woven fabrics, two are cropped, and one has long sleeves. I like the way they fit and these garments are potentially very versatile, if only I had more than one type of bottoms to pair them with. I usually wear pants for work, but I have multiples from the same pattern (and one pair of slacks), so I don't have any interesting combinations. Of course I could (and should) accessorize the same silhouette differently, but I usually don't do it (even thought I have plenty accessories. go figure).

So lesson number one:
Think more about accessorize. 

Starting September the temperature in Jerusalem (the capital of Israel, where I live) drops. As much as I dislike the city, the weather here is great year-round and in the fall it's especially comfortable. It's the perfect weather for fall scarves, which could be such an easy make. I should try it at least once in the coming months.

As I wear mostly the same type of pants, every morning I wanted to grab a skirt and wear it to work, and every morning realized I didn't have any that could go nicely with loose fitting tops. The moss skirt (cut and ready to be stitched) would probably be a great addition to my closet. It's fitted but not formal, and the lack of fluff means I won't be afraid to have wind blowing it up. While I don't like wearing short skirts, I'm not as self-conscious with a pair of legging underneath.
.
lesson number two:
Try to incorporate more skirts 

Lastly, it had become very clear to me that my workplace is seriously ugly and uninspiring. I work at a lab and mostly sit in front of a computer. I love my job, I love research, and I do the coolest things ever, but in the ugliest environment possible. When I asked a friend to take my pictures during the week we couldn't find one real spot within the building that had nice lighting or reasonable background. While work environment can affect our productivity, there isn't much I can do about it (and frankly I accept it as it is, I love fashion and interested in interior design, but it isn't REALLY important. I'm grateful for doing what I love everyday, the rest is just details). However, combining the ugly and disorganized environment with loose fitting casual clothes results in me feeling frumpy and juvenile.

I had some interesting discussions with my friends at the lab regarding our casual dress code. Israel is a Mediterranean country so it's a casual dress code all around. Most of Israel is too hot to wear anything more formal, and it couldn't be more apparent than in the university, where it's very acceptable not to care about one's attire (or at least act as if you couldn't care less...). There's a fine balance between a casual look and a frumpy look. I should pay more attention to it. Mostly, I should just accept that while some of my older me-makes are still wearable, they may not be suitable for my age and state of employment anymore.

so... lesson number three:
Get rid of things 

I learned a lot from this challenge and It made me think again about my fabric+pattern choices. I wish there was another challenge coming up (like self-stitched September), I don't want to wait until MeMadeMay. Until then... I have some thinking and sewing to do!



 

Strathcona T-shirt for me!

How do you choose fabric when sewing for someone else? 

I usually ask the recipients to come with me when I go to the textile district so they can choose for themselves, but I leaned that for someone who doesn't sew it's difficult to imagine the fabric as a garment (Not to mention it's just not fun, for someone who doesn't sew fabric shopping is really boring).

But what should I do? I just hate choosing stuff for other people, who am I to decide what they should end up wearing? I have my taste, other people have theirs... I guess this is why I try to avoid sewing for others unless they are part of the process.

Anyway, a few weeks ago I went to the textile district all by myself and ended up picking this knit fabric I thought would make a nice Strathcona. I printed the pattern, cut the fabric, and made it up as quickly as possible. The only change I made to the original pattern was the neckline, I thought a V neckline would be less tight around the neck than the original round neckline. (The V neckline could have been nice, had I made it properly... Unfortunately I rushed this process from some reason, I just wanted to MAKE IT RIGHT NOW, so the V is horrible but I don't care too much). 

The second obvious deviation from the plan is the fact I ended up keeping the Tshirt for myself rather than giving it to my boyfriend as planned. I tried it on before hemming, as I always do with anything I make, and I fell in love. We both decided it was more "me" than "him", so I hemmed it for myself (took about 15 cm from the length but kept the sleeves as-is). I love the length of these sleeves! So weird, so perfect!

I wear it here with my self-made self-drafted black jeans but I think it can go nicely with a mini skirt as well (I plan on making a moss skirt from the same fabric as the jeans, but I'm drowning in UFO's so it'll have to wait).

mmm... I guess I should explain the Pink Crocks situation. I'm training for a marathon and my foot hurts a little. I know it looks awful, but I'm comfortable and pain free and that's all that matters. 

I have another Strathcona planned (for my boyfriend), but as it requires re-printing the pattern and cutting a different size, he'll have to wait :)

Has any of you tried the Strathcona? I would like to add a pocket to my next version and maybe a sleeve detail. So many options! If I can just get the fit right (on him)...