Aqua Linen Blouse

I made this week's featured garment a few years ago when I ended up with a surplus of aqua linen that I had ordered from Fashion Fabrics Club in pursuit of the perfect fabric for my baby's nursery.  Originally thinking I would use it for curtains, I ordered a very large amount.  In the end it became liners for various baskets in the room, and I was left with a lot of fabric for another purpose.

The pattern for this top was created with Pattern Master Boutique pattern drafting software by Wild Ginger.  The design features include a center front button closure, shoulder princess seaming, curved hemline and collar with stand.  I followed directions written by Belinda Davies for creating a collared v-neckline, a style that was very popular several years ago. 

Before cutting the body of the garment, I created pintucks in the linen fabric and then cut the center front princess panels from that fabric.  The top is lined with a lightweight cotton voile, making it cool and comfortable to wear in the summer.  I finished the look with square shell buttons.

I really love this little blouse because it is so quintessentially ME.  I love wearing and working with linen and am particularly fond of soft, feminine shades like this aqua.  The pintucked details harken to my love of heirloom sewing and add (I think) just the right touch of uniqueness while maintaining the traditional look that I like.  The fit is just right, and I feel pretty wearing it.  Which garments in your closet are truly YOU?

What I Like in April: Dogwoods

“I don't see why I am always asking for private, individual, selfish miracles when every year there are miracles like white dogwood.”  ~Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Last month I began writing about and sharing pictures of some of my creative inspirations.  In March it was cherry blossoms.  This month it’s dogwood.  The state tree and flower of my Virginia home. I love the symmetry and paper-fine quality of their blooms, and how their centers look like clusters of beads.  I have a hard time deciding which color I like best.  Dogwoods also offer a second round of beauty in the fall with their glorious red leaves and berries.  I had the pleasure of attending some garden week tours this year when the dogwoods and other flowering trees were at their peak.  Here are some pictures taken this spring along with a few items from my sewing room.  I hope you will find them inspirational.

Betz White Birdhouse Workshop: A Review and Results

“Virginia Springtime”

I just finished a really fabulous online workshop with Betz White.  She taught me how to make one of her darling felted birdhouses complete with resident bird.  I have to tell you that I loved every minute of this course.  Betz posted new instructions, with video and lots of beautiful inspiration, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for two weeks.  I could hardly wait until the next set of instructions arrived.  Each day when Betz’s post would arrive I would drop everything and work on my birdhouse.  I found this project rewarding for lots of reasons:  felt is so lovely and forgiving to work with, the time and materials commitment was small, the creative possibilities were endless, the end result so darned cute! 

Here are a few things I learned along the way.  I hope some of these ideas will help you think and problem-solve creatively in whatever project you are working on.

I had plenty of raw materials to work with, seeing as how I hoard fabric including felted wool and sweaters.  But while I was working on the embroidery using some silk ribbon, I discovered I didn’t have the color I wanted. I thought about taking a piece of white ribbon and coloring it with a marker but then I had the better idea of dyeing it with koolaid. I’ve done this quite a bit and it works really great for both silk and wool. And it is safe and super easy. From the time the idea came into my head to completion took me (literally) less than 5 minutes. I took a small glass jar and put about ½ cup water in it and added roughly ½ packet of lemonade (unsweetened) koolaid powder. I submerged the ribbon and put it in my microwave. It took less than 2 minutes of cooking to achieve the shade I wanted (wool usually takes a little longer). I rinsed and hung the ribbon up to dry. This is a bit of a random science so you might need to experiment (NOTE: start with a small amount of koolaid powder and work up; the yellow I used required quite a bit for a darker color but most DON'T!) Here are a couple of links that will show you the various colors you can achieve with different koolaid flavors:  knitty and wrappedrocks.  The ribbon embroidered flowers with blue beading on the sides of the house were inspired by this photo, taken in my yard.

The next challenge presented itself with the fabric I wanted to use for the leaves on the roof.   I had previously over-dyed some black and white wool pieces with green dye in various colors.  During the dyeing process the wool did not felt very much and I was concerned that it would ravel when I cut it.  I first thought of edging each leaf with Fray Block (that would have been tedious).  Instead, I used my needle felting embellisher to felt each little piece more fully (no pun intended).  This worked great and had the added bonus of adding a soft, fuzzy quality to the pieces of wool.  So, if you’ve got a piece of wool that just won’t felt using conventional methods, try some needle felting.

The stitching on the bird’s wing represents forsythia, spring’s harbinger.  When I discovered that the back side of the stitched wing was going to be visible once applied to the bird, I fused another fabric on the back, and ended up loving that little print peaking out.

But the most joy I got from this project was the realization, toward the end, that I have really “loosened up” with my creativity.  There was a time when I would have cut each leaf for the roof with a pattern.  This time I free-hand cut each one; after all, nature’s variety is what makes it so special.  I also free-hand stitched all of the elements and embraced any and all diversity.  Each stitch in this project was made by hand, something I am turning to more and more these days.  Working by hand really allows me to feel what needs to be done to a project, something I think is missing when I sit at the machine. 

I’ve already sketched out and made notes on three other birdhouse ideas, each celebrating a different season.  This really was one of the most rewarding projects I’ve done in a long time.  I really recommend trying one of Betz’s workshops if you get the chance.  She has such a nurturing and kind teaching style, and all of her projects are so appealing.  Since she lives locally to me I am hoping that one day I can attend a live workshop; I’m betting she is even better in person.

Pieced Kwik Sew Jacket, Part 2

Last week I featured a jacket I made from Kwik Sew pattern 3236, and this is another jacket made from the same pattern.  I used five different fabrics: one windowpane linen, two silk-linen burnouts, and two plain linens. I could not find one fabric I envisioned, linen with a small pink and green print, so I embroidered my own. I also embroidered the buttonholes and the inserts in the sleeves.

I did not use the applique design included in the pattern though I originally thought I would do so. I added lime green piping in the yoke seam and fabric covered buttons.

I wore this jacket with a pink linen skirt and shell for Easter the year I created it and think I will do so again this year.  I feel that the delicate colors are just perfect for early springtime.  And I even have pink shoes to match!

Happy Easter!

Pieced Kwik Sew Jacket, Part 1

This jacket is part one of a two-part post.  I’ll share the second one next week.  I made this jacket a few years ago, based on Kwik Sew pattern 3236.  The fact that this pattern is still available speaks to its design and appeal.  The pattern description reads, “Misses' lined straight jacket has yoke, panel seams, full-length sleeves, and front button closure. Jacket is made from five different fabrics and has optional applique and trim embellishments.”  It is sized from XS to XL. 

I re-created the pattern for this jacket using Wild Ginger's Pattern Master Boutique software. I bought the Kwik Sew pattern and used it to draft my own which I knew would fit better. I measured the various pattern pieces and then created my own. I used the Kwik Sew directions, which are excellent, to construct the jacket. I like how the instructions have great illustrations on how to lay out all of the varied pattern pieces once they are cut so there are no mistakes. One thing that might not be apparent from the pattern picture is that all of the pieces are cut out individually and sewn together rather than piecing a panel of fabric and cutting out, say, a jacket front. One excellent feature about this pattern is that you can get away with a very small amount of an exquisite fabric by selecting the smallest pieces for that fabric. I also liked how the front placket was cut with its own facing and the insert band on the sleeve.

I chose five different fabrics, most of them linen, for this project.  The black background piece is embroidered with vines and flowers.  The micro check is the only non-linen piece.  I created an origami flower for one of the blocks and tacked down the points with beads (the smaller kanzashi flower in the center is not original to the jacket but was added later).  The buttonholes are embroidered and the buttons are fabric covered.  The same fabric from the buttons was used as piping in the yoke seam.

My style has evolved over time and I find this jacket a little bit “loud” for my current taste, but whenever I wear it I get lots of comments on it.  This pattern is well drafted, the instructions are great and the design offers lots of creative possibilities.  Check back next week when I will show you my other version, a pink and white number that is perfect for Easter.