Cleaning Out Winter Posts

Have you ever noticed that irony doesn't always work so well in blogs?  Nonetheless, I am going to note the irony that my last post two months ago was about "why I blog".....and then I stopped blogging.  Thank you to those of you who asked me what's up.  If you didn't even notice I've been gone, feel free to move along to the pictures.
Yup, I wrote that post two months ago then spent a lot of time the following week prepping projects for the wonderful end of January American Sewing Guild Northern Virginia chapter sewing retreat.  This might have been my twelfth sewing retreat and was the fourth at the historic and beautiful George Washington Winchester Wyndham Hotel.  This year was especially enjoyable for me, relaxing and easy going.  Last year I was in the midst of prepping to sell our Florida condo and under a great deal of personal stress.  Last year I needed the sewing retreat.....this year was a delight because could just bask in enjoying the moments.  

A ballroom of happy sewists at work

The breakfast buffet awaits.....and a dinner one will look even more splendid

Sewing bloggers meet and greet one another:  lucky me, Julie from From These Hands   Welmoed from There She Sews  Audrey from SewTawdry

I did not take any new patterns to sew, just filled in winter wardrobe gaps so I was a little reluctant to blog about them....but here they are in their retrospective:

More Pamela's Patterns Magic Pencil skirts, these with dark brown and black in the prints so I could wear them with tights and black dancing shoes for the beginning Lindy class that Mr. Lucky and I took for four weeks in the winter.

Kwik Sew 3740 in a toasty warm sweater knit

McCalls 6444  in a glittery navy sweater knit, years old from Fabric Mart

Multiple versions of the Margarita tank top for layering all winter and spring, this one with a lingerie lace picot edge

I was remarkably cold this winter, my first winter back in Baltimore in ten years so I was working on sewing layers and cozy garments that still might be a little more fashionable than my beloved LL Bean polarfleece.  I have owned a luxurious pre-recession splurge light-as-air cashmere sweater but seldom worn it.  (The traditional cost per wear calculation would make me blush with shame.)  So I needed its warmth and use out of it and did some analysis in my sewing room mirrors.  One reason I didn't wear it was that it had wonderfully long sleeves (a gift on a sweater for a tall person like me) but they ended in this wide, frilly bell that slopped into everything.  I pinned the sleeves into a snug narrow version and immediately liked the sweater better.  Now I needed to make it stop falling off my shoulders when the front would slip and pull the sweater slides downward.  I had just watched my DVR'd last episode of "What Not to Wear" and was reminded how Stacey and Clinton encouraged women to fit in their slender places and let clothes skim over the "fluffier" parts.  I pulled out some brown grosgrain ribbon and pinned two pieces as an under the bust tie closure.  immediately the sweater looked brand new and flattering.  

Too wide a sleeve hem

Testing that front tie idea

Finished refashioning result

Final retreat project was a coordinated Margarita knit top and this burnout poly print from JoAnn's a half dozen years ago.  I made a top and lightweight jacket for our March Florida trip and the colors cheered me up in the midst of the brutal winter.  But even this jacket was a repeat pattern, Vogue 8088, a Marcy Tilton OOP pattern Vogue 8088 previous version  that I have fallen in love with this year.  

Marcy's wonderful directions include all these mitered corners and french seams

Since one of the other great parts of a sewing retreat is bringing your excess "stuff" for the giveaway table, I had also spent a great deal of time in late January filling boxes and bags with extra fabric, notions, patterns and books from our move north.  Hooray, they have moved on to better homes....but of course I did find a few treasures that came home from the giveaway table to my "resource center."  

Three pieces of fabric

Some tailoring supplies and a vintage tailoring book for next winter's coat project

So that takes me through the end of January. In my next posts I'll show you two new cardigan patterns that I sewed up last month and share more about my first icy winter in many years.  In the meantime, it's nice to be back in the blog world.  I've been busy with other parts of my life and haven't been reading my blog roll either so time to catch up with all of you virtual sewing friends. 

Vogue 8088, Not My Usual Style

Most of you reading this little blog are already entrenched in the sewing/blogging world.  But I have a few personal friends who don't spend months, weeks, days hours combing blogworld and Pinterest for exciting creations, inspiration and sewing gossip.  This post starts out with an entreaty to them to enjoy The Great British Sewing Bee on youtube.  I won't give away any secrets except to say I LOVED watching the four hour long episodes.
Episode One
Episode Two
Episode Three
Great British Sewing Bee Finale 
Yes, it has some of the contrived drama of all reality shows but I so enjoyed seeing amateur sewers get public appreciation and respect.  Many other bloggers have had wiser things to say about these shows and the contestants and judges.  I simply enjoyed sitting with a glass of wine after a day of errands, yardwork, chores and dog care while indulging in a combination of my two of my favorite things....sewing and visiting England again, even if only vicariously.
I've been an Anglophile since I was a wee child.  The first storybook I recall was a Little Owl Book "Candles for the Queen."  My very first visit to Great Britain took place in 1972 when I was backpacking through Europe with Frommer's $5 A Day Guide leading me.  It's been a love affair ever since and this show just let me indulge on a more personal level.  I as impressed by the courage it took to sign up to sew in front of cameras and judges in a limited time.  Heck, I hate showing all of you readers the rear end of a pair of pants I've sewn.  This wasn't for a Project Runway of Fashion Star chance at money and fame, just an opportunity to show honed sewing skills.  I was touched by the contestants, their families and was happy to the point of tears at the final result.  But they were all winners to give it a go and I look forward to the next series.

But enough about watching sewing, how about getting some done here on the other side of the pond.   I am finally posting a picture of this latest creation from my sewing room.  It was too cold over the last week to go outside and pose with a thin silk organza jacket.  But the weekend was warmer and I've gotten a snapshot of the final result.

Vogue 8088

The fabric is an embroidered and painted silk organza from Fabric Mart.  The pattern is one of Marcy Tilton's, what I would consider an artsy style, quite different from my usual classic tailoring or sportswear  outdoorsy look.  When I attended the Artistry in Fashion show at Canada College in California last year, I felt a little underdressed compared to the more creative types all around me.  So here's the most out-of-the fashion-box style that I like on me.  
I cut a size Small and then took 1/2" off the shoulders to narrow them further.  I am rather satisfied with the result except that I might narrow the pattern back so that it doesn't swing out so dramatically.  I feel a little like a superhero ready to leap in the air with a mini cape waving behind.

sort of caped crusader

  Marcy's directions for finishing the seams are as lovely as those in a Sewing Workshop pattern.  French side seams and a two inch band with mitered corners are sophisticated touches.  I used a Linda Lee technique of a cardboard template (just a cut up am marked file folder.)  In this case the template is 2" wide with a one inch mark down the center.  I pressed the jacket edges with the template, then turned them again along the first fold and used a narrow zig zag to stitch down the outer edges.

Make the first fold with a cardstock template for accuracy.

Double folded edge and mitered corner

The square corner collar neck area is also finished cleanly on the inside which also reinforces that weak square corner area and is the final detail to make this one layer jacket as nice inside as outside.

Inside square collar and shoulder seam, trimmed and hand stitched

Outside collar and shoulder

As always, I am late to discover this pattern.  I just saw last week that the creative and generous (remember my giveaway win this winter?) JillyB has sewn several of these while I was playing with my one simple one.  Jillybejoyful jackets 
I too would like to make some other versions but next I'm moving on to something new.  Yup, I'm continuing this short journey out of my fashion comfort zone.  There's a new mock up pattern in my sewing room and later this week I'll get some fitting help from some of my sewing pals.  How about you, are you in or out of your comfort zone this week?