Stepping stone cowl

I chose this project to make use of the yarn. When I bought my very first sweater yarn in Delft, I couldn't resist this yarn, but with all the moving, I didn't keep the label.  It's a pretty bulky yarn, and was recommended for size 11 US needles.  

I looked for a pattern that would be easy but would take advantage of the variegated colors of the yarn, and I found this cowl. It recommended size 12 US needles, but otherwise seemed to fit my specifications pretty well.  

I cast on using the size 12 needles and I thought that it was fine, so I carried on with them. Unfortunately, I cast on at work and wasn't paying attention when I put it into the round, so it had a twist in it that I didn't catch for about 7 rows.  I had to frog and start over.  

Other than that mishap it was an easy make.  One of the nurses at work really liked it so I gave it to her. 

Lady Renfrew/Skater-frew Frankendress

This fabric is from the market in Delft and it's consistently been in the wrong country while I dreamed about what to make with it.  The one thing I wanted was the stripes going down sleeves. For awhile I thought of doing a Named Geneva tee, but I made a bunch of them and was kind of tired of them so I lost interest and this kind of rayon - lightweight, but heavy, jersey, cool feeling - doesn't suit everything because it stretches so much.

Finally I decided to do a Lady Skater Renfrew frankendress. This has been done loads, but the most memorable to me is Lauren's.  It's the first time I used the cowl neck.  In order to combine the patterns, I applied all the neck stuff from the Renfrew onto the skater pattern.  They don't have the same seam allowances, but I honestly think I could have put the Renfrew cowl on the skater with no other changes, and it would not have looked much different.

Renfrew size 4.  Skater size 3.  It's my third skater with a third type of fabric and the same size, and it's interesting to me how each one is very different.  (Versions 1 and 2.) I thought I had way enough fabric with my two plus meters...so I was going crazy picking pieces of pattern...and then I got to the cowl.  The massive, fabric needy cowl.  Oops.  So I found a scrap of pale jersey to be the underside - I guess it's visible sometimes but luckily it matches really well and maybe it's kind of nice to break up the pattern a little bit.

I got worried halfway in that this fabric is too heavy to be a skater.  I didn't add the elastic at the waist because it is scratchy and I don't really understand how elastic in the seam allowance stabilizes the dress, anyway.  But.  Is this kind of dress doomed to drag downwards and fall apart?  How to avoid?  After wearing for one day I can see the stitches at the waist pulling. Does the elastic stop that from happening?

I don't know how much I like it.  I think it's cute but I kind of lost interest at some point.  I'm getting into moving phase again and I want to make make make (because travelling with fabric is heavy) but I don't really want to keep keep keep...

Upcycled Papercut Anima pants and Simplicity 8228 Madalynne bra

In order to not stand around in just a bra, I figured I'd show these two makes together.

I spend too much time trying to think up things to do with tshirts.  You know the ones I mean - those heavyweight, oversized, shapeless, screen-printed tshirts that we all get too many of for free.  A few of them work to sleep in but they last a long time!  So this pair of Papercut Anima pants was brought about as a trial run to use up some shirts.  Since the pants are sleepwear they are totally allowed to look silly plus I get to wear a bunch of tshirts which I do actually like - I spent six months working with MSF last year - and I've done a bunch of trips with the American Alpine Institute, so both of these shirts have some emotional value to me and I'm happy to make them continuously useful.

The anima pants pattern is my standard one, size XS - I didn't shorten the legs this time, but I have lowered the front waistband by removing a wedge that I tapered out to nothing at the side seam, plus obviously I got rid of the fly and pockets.

In order to use four tshirts for this pattern, I cut each tshirt apart at the sides and across the top, and then I sewed the bottoms together, like this:

Even with this magenta tee, which was a size S ladies cut, I had enough to make an entire pant leg with some room remaining.


I went kind of crazy with the waistband and it was bad, so I had to totally remove something like 5 rows of stitching (I measured my elastic wrong and it was about 5 inches too long...) and then I went for the minimalist waistband with no stitching in it.  The elastic stays in place so I'm content for now.  This version of the anima pants, seeing as it has no pockets, no fly and no string in the waistband - is a pretty minimal version and is easy to make.  It took a few hours including tshirt prep. 

So the bra top!  I bought this as soon as it came out.  After all, lacy bra thingies are so in right now!  I wanted one!  The lace is from merckwaerdigh's etsy store, the cream coloured powermesh is from tailormadeshop.  I used really bad fabric glue to stick the layers together and then the idea of making this bra top faltered.  It was a few months before I came back to it.  There was only one review which mentioned sizing, and the reviewer used her normal bra size rather than following the size chart, so I did that too and cut a 32C.  I marked each pattern piece with the side that should be along the scallops and I found cutting out easy.  Sewing was easy and quick too - just a couple of hours.  I found the instructions to be adequate and not confusing at any point.  However because of my crappy glue, I had to then zigzag all free edges (luckily this is invisible in the lace) because the mesh was flopping around otherwise.

The band is tight enough to be supportive, which itself, in non-stretch lace, is a problem because although I can get this top on, it's nearly impossible to get off.  The back is much lower than the front.  I was debating just removing 2 cm off the spot where the back narrows to see if that helps, although I suppose it's not too important.  Also,  the cups fit mostly ok, but I think I'll take a wedge off the center front piece for my next try.  The lace is also really itchy.

I have a nice kit from tailormadeshop to make another one of these, which I'll do with those two small changes, but I recommend using stretch lace, and not using powermesh on the band, especially if you have wide shoulders or a muscular back like I do. 

Ondee Skater Frankendress

I debated what to do with this beautiful fabric for quite awhile.  It is a batik terry cloth from emmaonesock.

Finally I decided to start by making an Ondee, and then making something else with the leftovers.
The repeat is a square with the blue border and I wasn't sure how to approach it.  I went for centering the pattern and placing the strips in a visually neat place (and the bindings) and I adore it.  I made a size 38, and as my previous Ondee, it was a very easy pattern with no news to report.

But...my caveat is that the waist is really tight and I was feeling like Houdini getting in and out of it.  Also, I wanted to make a skater with the rest of this fabric...and I didn't have enough.  So I decided it was time for my first Frankendress...an Ondee-skater.

I didn't have enough fabric to really plan how I laid out the skirt, but once I got the two attached they matched up perfectly...except for having the pattern in the middle driving me crazy!

I switched the front and back panels, which helped a bit.  The dress is cozy, and it's stretchy, and it's roomy - either because the Ondee was a bit wider than the skirt panels, or because of the multiple times that I ripped out the waist stitching.  The lightning bolt waist stitching.  Grrr...

So it's a bit more roomy than I'm used to.  I love the pattern, I love the fabric, but I can't quite escape that the Ondee was a better match for it in some ways.  The dress is comfortable to wear but everyone else likes it more than I do!  Not sure whether I'll keep it. 

Upcycling and fun with knits

I started to feel stressed in life and the result was a bunch of knit projects and stress-free upcycling.  It was great to get these things taken care of! 

#1: the success
Mission tank top with stretch lace binding.  I widened the straps a bit by eyeing my pattern (I've done this lots of times but never put it to paper) and just zigzagged the lace on.  The ribbing I used for this tank is really heavy, I think it's rayon, so I'm not sure it's going to last long before it stretches too much, but it's a perfect sized, comfy tank top.  I'll keep an eye out for thin rib knits to make more of these, because this is something I often buy to wear under other layers.  Because I'm nice, I sent it to a friend who also wanted some layering tank tops.

that's dirty camera spots, not dirty shirt spots

#2: The Mission dress upcycle:

This started out being a size XL Roxy surfergirl dress - with triangle top and an empire waist and it went on forever, because I guess Roxy surfergirls are all 6 feet tall...and I upcycled it into a Mission.  I wasn't sure how things would go with the ruffles - in fact, I started to suspect quite early that it would be a total fail.  I was curious if I could get the ruffle in the right place to add some volume to the skirt of the dress without it being right on my hips.  And in the end I rather like it although I'm not sure I totally succeeded - I went into this project expecting nothing, which can sometimes be really freeing!

#3: selfless upcycle:
My cousin asked me to upcycle some old sweaters into Plantains.  Here's the first one (the second will be for another Hawaii trip, I suppose...) It's a size 38, no modifications except to use the original cuffs and the neck binding is the original binding cut narrower.  I cut the bottom to the plantain pattern, and then hemmed it with a zig zag which created the ruffle - and my cousin says she loves it!  Here's to lucky design features!

#4: selfless tees x2.
These aren't too interesting as I cut them in Munich last April, so they are exactly the same as versions I made for the same two friends last year : )  I guess I'm on track to give my friends one shirt per year!  The men's shirt is the Strathcona by Thread Theory, and the girl shirt is a Briar, size S, with the high-low hem made more subtle.  In this interlock knit the Briar turned out super nice and I'm considering making me some!

Yes these are mostly fold marks from being packed for nearly a year...

#5: Desigual dress to skirt
I love this dress.  Of course I forgot a before picture.  Ebay has provided instead:

I got the dress in Barcelona when I ran the Barcelona marathon, and so my memories of it are tied up in the pain of that terrible terrible race course, haha.  But the dress, beautiful!  It also had this stupid overlapping triangle top, and it was really tight.  Like, I gave up wearing a bra, no matter how skinny I've gotten those green stripes under the bust were super tight.  And no matter how I tried, I just don't feel covered going out wearing two triangles over my chest, unless I'm at the beach. (In which case no problem, actually all my favourite swimsuits are nothing but two triangles...)  So what to do?  I decided to try and make it a skirt with a fold over waistband.

Lo and behold - it worked!!!  I cut it across just above my hips and left the zip in place, thinking it would help to get it on (doesn't) and made a tube of my green merino, and just sewed it on with a lightning bolt stitch.  I had to shorten the green initially cause my guess of the circumference was wrong, and I was mainly lucky that I can squeeze the dress over my hips - but I didn't want to cut lower and lose the pattern.  Anyway this is a magical save as I love the skirt.