Burda mag 01/2011-120 leggings

There's been a lot of chatter lately on Twitter about #oonapants, inspired by the lovely Kalkatroonan, of course.

I had to make some. Leggings are such a great instant gratification project. And I'm letting my coat muslin stew while I think over the alterations I need to make.

Since I don't have a well fitting pair of leggings to trace, I went with the leggings pattern from the 01/2011 issue of Burda magazine. I made the adjustments I commonly make for pants - lengthening the rise and scooping the rear crotch curve. The extra length was totally not needed, as these are drafted with a fairly high waistline. I ended up removing the extra I added and then some.

I added a fold over waistband, like Oona's. I had 'drafted' one previously for this skirt, and just used that. It's very simple to do this - you just need a band that is your waist measurement minus 2 inches for the width and twice your desired finished height. Add seam allowances and away you go.

I was worried that this crazy print would make my butt look huge, but I actually think it has more of a camouflage effect. Win! I'm not sure altering the crotch curve was necessary in a fabric with this much stretch, but the fit is good, so I'm keeping it. I'm also pretty darn pleased with my print matching back there. Can't even see the seam!

The inseam turned out really well, too. The upper part of the back inseam is a bit longer than the front, which makes for a good fit, but makes stripe matching impossible up there. Hopefully, no one is looking there, anyway!

You got a problem with my oonapants, yo?

When I finished these I thought to myself, "What have I done??" but I actually think I really like them. They are crazy comfortable and I actually think they are pretty fun. Maybe not typical for my wardrobe, but maybe, just maybe, I'll wear them out of the house after all. What do you think?

Burda 08/2007-112 coat muslin

I'll admit, I'm not the best at making muslins. I know, I'd probably have better final outcomes if I did, but it is easily my least favorite part of sewing. Still, when one making a coat, even I think a muslin (test garment) is in order.

Here is the line drawing for Burda 08/2007-112.  As you can see, it is a fairly straight cut coat, shaped pretty much just with the belt, although there is a small dart that is hidden under the lapel that provides a small amount of shaping in the chest.

Here is an old sheet, cobbled loosely into the form of the coat, and tied with a random sash. Looks a bit like a bathrobe at the moment. My fit concerns here are all in the shoulder and sleeve. The shoulder seems to be slightly dropped, and I'm not sure if that is style or size. I do have narrow shoulders in front. The fold falling from the shoulder line is suggesting too much fabric there, so I need to consider that. The sleeves also seem to be twisting. I have no idea what that is about.

From the side, the sleeve looks great, and the hemline and side seams fall straight and even.I'm wondering if the collar is falling too far back, though.

In back, it looks OK, although there are a few wrinkles in the armpit in this pic. I'm not sure if those are real or just posture related.

With my arms forward, it looks OK, but feels a little snug across my back and rear. I think I will release the center back seam from about mid back all the way down and add some width there for movement ease.

What do you think?

Twitter enabling

I've only been tweeting a short while, but the sewing community there is awesome! And terribly enabling. But I like that in my friends.
So, while chatting about Sewing Dares, this came up...

And so we are sewing coats! I'm excited to be working with all of these amazing ladies. I know we'll be excellent support for each other. Now, for my coat...

It all started with this amazing stretch poplin from Mood. As you can see, the scale of the print is quite large, so it needs a simple style to really show it off.

I found this very simple belted coat in the 08/2007 issue of Burda magazine. You can't tell anything from the fashion image, but it is a straight cut coat with very little shaping. There is a single dart that shapes the front, hidden under the lapel. The collar has a half stand, just across the back to give it lift  and shaping there. Otherwise, it is very, very simple. I'm planning to underline with wool jersey and do very minimal tailoring just in the collar and lapels. I'll probably also add some support to the armholes and upper chest - probably just cross-grain fusible, but we'll see.

I had hoped to get this finished in time for Jungle January, but the lining has still not arrived, so I don't think that will happen. I'm so glad that I got a chance to participate in this party though, especially when a sweet little package arrived in the mail yesterday!!

How fun is this?! Thank you so much, Anne!! Mlle. Hello Kitty brightens my day and those buttons... I have no words. They are beyond amazing. I'm going to have to find the perfect project to feature them. Mitch suggested a jacket, but there are enough for a shirtdress... What would you do?

My new sewing buddy!

Several weeks ago, one of the young ladies that I had the pleasure to teach at church mentioned that she was interested in sewing. Naturally, that sparked a conversation and I discovered that she has taken several sewing classes and in fact, her parents were planning to purchase her a sewing machine. Very little makes me happier than encouraging the next generation of sewist, so I invited her over to sew with me. We've been meeting together every weekend we can, and it has been so much fun!

The first time we got together, we made her a skirt! It's a basic dirndl skirt gathered into 2 inch wide elastic. Super simple, but fun to sew. Anna did all of the seaming and hemming, and I did the patternwork (such as it was) and the gathering.

After we made her skirt, she brought over her sewing machine, and we figured out all of its bells and whistles, then I taught her basic machine maintenance - cleaning and oiling. After we got her machine spic and span, she cleaned up mine for me. Janome hasn't been that spotless in years!

This last time we got together, Anna wanted to make a fleece hat. I found this tutorial and we went to town. She cut out the fleece she chose.

And she did all the sewing herself.

How cute is her new hat!! It only took us thirty minutes, so there was also plenty of time to pick out some fabric and a pattern for a tee shirt. We even got the pattern traced, then we spent some time talking about different fibers and how they are different from different fabrics. We compared silk jersey to cotton jersey, and silk organza to silk crepe. It was really fun showing her how the same fiber or the same weave can result in such different fabrics. My giant stash was definitely beneficial here!
I'm really having a ton of fun hanging out with Anna and sharing my passion with her. I'm so glad her parents are willing to share her with me. She's awesome!!

You win!!

Wow! Y'all really love sewing books and fabric! I was totally blown away (in a really good way) by the amazing response to my giveaway. Thanks so much to everyone who came by and entered.

But that isn't why you're here, is it? :)

I thought it would be fun to do an old fashioned drawing, rather than a computer randomizer. So I printed out all the comments and cut them up. There were so many, I had to get a bigger bowl!

I asked Myra to draw our winner...

She chose...

Ellen!!

I'll email you for your info so that I can get your package in it's way.

Then this cute guy wanted to help, too.

So I let him...

He chose...

Angela!!

I'll be putting together another sewing book, fabric and pattern combination for Angela. I may have a few more tricks up my sleeve. 

Again, thanks to everyone who entered. This was so fun, we'll definitely do it again soon! I have a lot of fabric and patterns...

McCalls 6604

So far for Jungle January, I've sewn snakeprint and zebra, but to me, the quintessential animal print is leopard.

This fabric is a poly chiffon from FabricMart that I have had in the stash for a while. I don't love sewing chiffon, particularly poly chiffon, and it isn't a very practical fabric, but I just love this print, so its time had come.

The pattern I chose was McCalls 6604. I actually had this pattern in my to donate box, but it really was perfect for this so I rescued it. I wanted something with few seams (only 3 pattern pieces - check) and minimal details. Since chiffon makes me twitch, I simplified the sewing as much as possible.

Instead of a facing, I finished the back neckline with a self fabric bias strip. Spray starch tamed that beast.

I used a serger rolled hem on the sleeves and hemline. Wooly nylon thread in the looper makes the coverage nice and dense.

The cowl facing was skimpy, so I deepened it 2 inches, but with the floatyness of the chiffon, it was still flipping out all over the place, so I added a weight to keep it tamed. In this case, I used a nickel, sewn into a self fabric pouch and stitched onto the lowest part of the facing. It does a great job keeping the facing in place.

See how well it stays put?! I actually took this pic to show how deep the cowl actually is. Since this fabric is sheer, I will always wear it with a shirt or cami under, but without a cami, my bellybutton is clearly visible.

When I originally envisioned this top, I pictured it with skinny jeans or leggings, but when I got ready to take pictures, my skinnies just didn't look right with it, so I pulled out this brown skirt (Vogue 8603) which I seldom wear. I really like this skirt and it fits well, but all of the tops that look good with it look better with something else. I really like this pairing though, so hopefully this great skirt will see more life now that I have a great top to go with it.

As a parting shot...Rawwr!

And don't forget the giveaway for the Perfect Fit book, mint green linen and New Look pattern! Go and comment to enter if you haven't already! I'll be drawing a name tomorrow and posting the winner on Wednesday.

Awesome Mail Day, and a Giveaway!!

Thanks to all who entered!! This giveaway is closed, but stick around. You never know when there will be another.

Yesterday I had an awesome mail day. It was one of those days when everything arrives at once. I had used a gift certificate and then a few days later placed an order for a couple of sewing books at amazon and my Ottobre magazine was expected any time. Well, they all came together!!

First USPS brought my books, bought on a whim, and my Ottobre. Oh my goodness, y'all. This is an adorable issue! And I was really excited about these books, particularly the pants fitting book.

Then my box from Mood arrived. Mmmmm, yummy camel hair and zebra print silk. Yes, there is a coat on the horizon.
Anyway, I was looking through my new-to-me books excitedly, when I realized that one looked awfully familiar...

Wait a minute...

D'oh!! Same book, slightly different title. But, y'all, this is a great book! I've learned a ton from it, and I continue to use it all the time. I find it really complements the other major fitting books, offering alternate methods for doing things. So, my absentmindedness is your gain. I'm offering this book up as a giveaway.

Since we all know that sewing supplies don't like to travel alone, I'm also offering 2 3/8 yards of yummy mint green linen and a New Look wardrobe pattern (uncut and factory folded) that includes a cute v neck or pussy bow blouse and pencil skirt. They'll be a perfect jump start to your Spring sewing!

Here's a better shot of the fabric. It's really lovely with enough drape for a top, but also would also work for a skirt or pants.
So, to enter this giveaway, just leave a comment on this blog post before next Tuesday, the 22nd. Make sure that you leave me some way to contact you. I will not enter you in the drawing if you don't include contact info. I'll ship anywhere in the world, but if you are overseas, I'll ship parcel post, so it won't be fast, but it'll get there!

ETA: I understand that there has been some difficulty leaving comments. Oh, Blogger... If you are having trouble commenting and would like to enter the giveaway, please email me at katiedeshazer (at) gmail (dot) com. 

Ottobre 06/2012-4 & 5 Baby Boy dress clothes

I mentioned in the post about my jeans that I had a lot of family stuff to sew. I promise I won't bore you with most of it, but this outfit...

You'll have to pardon the maternal gushing, but that kid is CUTE! And he has been madly wearing out and outgrowing all of his church appropriate clothing.

I was pretty thrilled with the 06/2012 issue of Ottobre, but I was particularly excited about this shirt. It's style #4. It's nice and dressy, with a collar and button front, but it is made of knit fabric, so it is super comfortable.

The fabric I used was a knit remnant from the stash (yay for stashbusting and using teeny bits of fabric!!). The collar, collar binding and pocket are cut from the cotton twill I used for the matching pants.

I just love how Ottobre patterns are relatively simple designs and easy to make, but with great details that make them special. In this shirt, the contrast pocket and collar are super fun, and make it easy to personalize. Seriously, how cute is that little pocket?!?

I'm pretty thrilled with my stripe matching across the front and the seams. I'm kind of neurotic about stripes, and when I see mismatched stripes on the street, it makes me cringe. These make me smile. It was a little tricky getting the stripes across the front just right, since I used ring snaps as the closure. They really had to align just perfectly. And they do! Yay!

Of course, he also desperately needed pants. These are from the same issue of Ottobre. They are style #5.

They are an elastic waist pant, but with a few fun details. In front, patch pockets and knee darts, which make bending and crawling more comfortable. Duncan is a walker, but he does a lot of climbing, so I thought he'd like these. They also have a faux fly and jeans style topstitching.

In back, we have patch pockets and a yoke, again styled like jeans. Since these are for church, I didn't do any decorative stitching on the pockets, but if I were making these as a casual pant, it would be a fun addition.

The fabric for the pants is a very densely woven cotton twill that was given to me by a cousin of mine. She had used some of the yardage, but gave the rest to me. It's really lovely stuff, with a nice sheen, and just perfect for durable boy pants.

Seriously, the cuteness... A note on sizing - Duncan measures to an 86 in Ottobre right now, but they are a PERFECT fit, which means they are exactly one growth spurt away from too small. I made these in a size 92, and while they are a little big, as you can see, he can still wear them, and I won't have to make another set next week when he outgrows them. I think this is one of the trickiest things about sewing for young children. You just never know! I tend to go a bit larger, since they will always grow, but I have yet to meet a kid who shrunk.

Stashbusting Challenge

Y'all, I really love fabric.

I don't really think that is a problem. I mean, I could be spending my money on worse things, but the truth is, I'm running out of space, and a bigger house just isn't an option at the moment.

I'm a little chagrined to admit that there was no possible way to take a picture that included all of the fabric at one time.

So, in the interest of still having room to sew, I am joining in with Cation Designs and EmSewCrazy in the Stashbusting Sewalong. Also, how could I resist that awesome graphic?? 

I, Katie of Kadiddlehopper, commit to using AT LEAST 24 pieces of stash fabric in 2013. I also commit to not buying more fabric yardage than I have used out of the stash, or as is needed to complete projects (ie. linings, interfacing, etc).

I think this is a reasonably flexible plan that will work for me. The goal is not to stop buying fabric. I love fabric and it makes me happy. The goal is to simply use the beautiful pieces that I own, and replace them with equally beautiful pieces that I will enjoy sewing.

Unfortunately, fabric is not the only area where I am having a bit of a storage problem. This represents the majority of my envelope patterns. The drawers are stuffed and have overflown into the boxes on top. There are also 5 file boxes full of pattern magazines that I didn't have the heart to photograph. As with fabric, I love patterns. I love the potential they represent and the inspiration they give. But, I'm not using them to their fullest, particularly vintage and magazine patterns. So, in addition to my fabric stashbusting, I would add a pattern stashbusting pledge of using at least one vintage or magazine pattern each month (not counting Ottobre for the kids - I use the crap out of those).

So, my goals - 2 stash projects per month, Fabric In = Fabric Out and at least one vintage or magazine pattern per month. I think that is doable. What about you? Are you stashbusting this year?