Crafting a Rainbow

Hello! Well, finally Tumblr and Bloglovin have worked things out, so hopefully now everyone will see this post! 

I moved over to Wordpress a few weeks ago, so you can now find me here:  http://craftingarainbow.wordpress.com/

I always really enjoyed my Tumblr blog, but I'm really unimpressed with them blocking my readers. What's with that, Tumblr? All the old posts are now over on Wordpress - and the bonus is that the search bar works way better now, so old posts are easier to find! 

It's official - Crafting a Rainbow has moved! You can find me now at http://craftingarainbow.wordpress.com/ ! 

It's been a few weeks now since Tumblr blocked Bloglovin' users from seeing Tumblr blogs, and I'm tired of waiting for them to sort it out. I'm also annoyed at Tumblr for blocking 3/4 of my readers in one fell swoop. So bye bye Tumblr, hello Wordpress!

Unfortunately, because my tumblr blog is not going out to Bloglovin' users, it's a bit hard to spread the word that I'm moving. I'll apologize now that I'm about to bombard you all on Twitter and Instagram with reminders that I've moved... and I'm even asking a few bloggy friends to help me out by adding a little message from me to their next blog post.

If you kind souls would help me too by tagging the following message onto the end of a post sometime, that would be much appreciated! <3 

Alessa from http://farben-freude.blogspot.ca! And as it happens, she already did a Tribute Month post to me! 

You see, as Alessa explained in her post, we'd talked in the fall about making outfits inspired by each other. We've got seriously similar taste in colours  - I mean, just look at the woman's stash! 

Emerald, turquoise, red and navy!!! Stripes and dots! I'm so in love. 

In addition, we've got similar taste in me-mades: cute and comfy everyday knits, for the most part! Take a look at some of her outfits for Me-Made May. I just love how consistent and well-defined Alessa's style is, and it all looks great on her. If anyone could make me want to wear solids, it's her! 

But not quite yet - because here's what I made for Tribute Month:

I ordered this material from fabric.com back in the fall, because it just screamed "Alessa!" In fact, it's been in my stash so long that Leila from Three Dresses actually brought it up to me (my Columbian fabric mule) when she came to visit in November. I love the colours, but the fabric turned out to be thin and quite stretchy, and I just couldn't figure out what to make.

And then along came the Comino Cap pattern, and I knew I had a winner! Because there are so few seams in the dress, there isn't much stress on the fabric... and I was *just* able to squeeze it from 2yards with some semblance of stripe matching (on the skirt, at least!) 

As it happens, the Comino Cap is pretty much reversible (on me, at least!) so I can wear either side as the front. I really can't decide which side I like best!

Thanks, Alessa, for letting me knock off your style! I'm really enjoying the Tribute Month posts by Inge and Ali - this is the first Sewcialist theme that's been run entirely by someone other than me, and they are doing a bang-up job. I'll just happily go into retirement then! ;) 

Guys, I swear I don't normally buy as much fabric as I have the past few months... you know what? Screw it. I probably do buy this much fabric all the time. Knits just fly in and out of my stash too fast, and  I get stressed when i'm running low. Must. Have. Faaaabric!

This time I ordered from Cali Fabrics, which was a spot-on recommendation from Heather at Where Heather Grows (who, by the way, is making awesome after awesome thing this summer!) 

Here are the fabrics I ordered: 

turquoise and green paint daubs 

feathers

cherries and dots

purple french terry

As you can tell, I'm really happy with my order! I've prewashed it all since filming this video, and it all stayed nice. 

If you are interested in ordering from Cali Fabrics, the coupon code for first-timers is "Save10". They also have a 10% off coupon code if you follow them on social media, so I'll have to remember to use that one next time! They also have a blog where they announce sales. (I know I sound like I'm shilling for them - but I'm just a happy customer/fabric addict, I swear!) 

I've been thinking about lately about how nice it is when a fabric store feels like a cohesive collection expressing someone's taste. For example, Wanderlust, EmmaOneSock, and Marcy Tilton all seem to have just one buyer who buys what she likes! Whomever buys for Hart's also seems to have really defined taste (stripes, dots, solids, and no multi-coloured prints) and I'd say Cali Fabrics has a similarly cohesive collection. Even Girl Charlee, though I've been disappointed in the fabric quality, has a really clear colour palette and style. (Fabric.com is just so big that it has a bit of everything.)

What's great is that if you and the buyer have similar taste, you know you are going to find fabric you like. We all have different preferences, but maybe we can find fabric stores that "fit" just like we prefer certain pattern companies. I know that Heather is a sucker for what Marcy Tilton and Emma One Sock post, but it's usually not quite me. Denver Fabrics seems to choose warm-toned rusty dark colours, which looks killer on Lady Katza, but never tempts me. On the flip side, I really like what Wanderlust and Cali Fabrics are choosing, so I know it's worth watching for new stock. 

Is there any store/designer/blogger that picks just the right things for your taste, and makes you want ALL THE THINGS?

So apparently Tumblr has blocked Bloglovin' from showing Tumblr blogs... Have you noticed that? I assume it will be reversed at some point, but it's annoying for now! I really like blogging on Tumblr - it's got a super-simple interface, and it does everything I need.

But I know a lot of you use Bloglovin', and what's the point of a blog without readers? As a result, I'm thinking of moving over to Wordpress. it's what I use for the Sewcialist website, and it certainly has more capability than Tumblr. 

Bonus: New platform means a new template! I've had my current "look" for at least a year and a half, and it feel like time to change. But - I have NO IDEA what direction to go! Help! I started by looking on Etsy, but I don't know what I want. Quirky? Bold? Clean? Bright? 

I've got a lot of questions today: 

How do you approach redesigning your blog's look?

Can you suggest any easily modifiable Wordpress templates, designers, or places to buy reasonably priced templates?

Link me up! Who has a blog that you think is really nicely designed? 

Today is our wedding anniversary... and I'm ashamed to say that we I totally forgot and made plans to do entirely separate things all day! Jamie went to see Guardians of the Galaxy (for the 3rd time) with his brother, and I drove around to a few fabric stores about an hour away. Ah, romance! ;) 

(In fairness, we did celebrate out official got-married-at-town-hall anniversary last week... but for goodness sakes, my husband has a tattoo of today's date on his arm? How did I forget it?) 

I'm going to two weddings this month, which has made me reminisce about my own. We had a fantastic day - casual, nontraditional, and fun. (Oh, and stinking hot!) I don't want to bore you all with a sappy recap, so instead, I'm going to show you some of the outtakes, mistakes and shenanigans that I remember far more fondly than the centre pieces, favours, or any of that stuff that takes so much planning! 

1. Prewedding nerd time! We got married at Jamie's parents house out in the country... which is also where his brother/best friend lives the dream life of a well-stocked basement dweller! Because getting married doesn't have to mean growing up, ammiright?

2. Coffee Filter Flower Bouquets. I worked on these for MONTHS! I dyed the filters in japan, brought them home to Canada, and spent the evenings making endless flowers. Loved them... and totally forgot to carry them during the ceremony! My bridesmaids realised they'd forgotten their bouquets as the started walking, but I admit I didn't think of it until after. Oh well - didn't miss them, and it meant the wedding party got to strut across the lawn like badasses to this.

(Note, if you will, my sister's Myrtle-esque teal dress... and my brother-in-law's top hat and 5' high walking stick, made of a metal pipe and topped with crystal knob - because weddings are for making dreams come true! ;) 

3. Marrying ourselves. We've both atheists, so we never considered having a minister... and since we are both teachers, we felt like we could easily keep things rolling ourselves! We walked down the aisle together, and read from the program/script we had taped into a book. Mine was Anne's House of Dreams, where she gets married to Gilbert, and Jamie's was a comic about Mister Miracle living in the suburbs with his superhero wife, Big Barda. 

That's why I've got this picture of Big Barda and Mister Miracle in my sewing room...

If you aren't into comics, the hidden compliment of his choice is that Barda is taller and stronger than her husband - I dearly love Jamie for making me feel tough!) 

4. Casual Time! Shortly after the ceremony, the party began... and apparently even my comfy flats came of pretty immediately!

(Oh, and my dress? WAS FREE! FROM THE NICE PEOPLE OF THE INTERNETZ! I was active on Offbeat Bride, and someone offered up her custom-made dress which just happened to be my size! I added the lace belt with flowers, and sewed on the turquoise tulle, and my mom, bless her, altered the waist for me. Hard to believe I wasn't a sewist 3 years ago, or I'd have done it myself! Now, the deal was that I pass it on after, like the sisterhood of the traveling wedding dress... but I admit I'm still too sentimental to part with it. Good thing it's a timeless style! I'll pass it on one day...)

5. Bunting. My mom and sister made heaps of bunting... and it's since been used for at least 6 other weddings, birthdays, and parties. It's the sewing project that keeps on giving. They used bias tape and raw-edged triangles, and it's held up really well!

(Oh, and Jamie broke out the casual clothes before dinner! Suits are just not him.) 

6. Textiles. It was the perfect excuse to dig out the family's prettiest linens, like the tablecloth above. 

Pinned under my dress, as my something old, was this lace hankie made by someone at least 5 generations back in my family. My mom, sister, and Granny all wore it on their wedding day too!

Much newer, but also precious, is this afgan my sister Anne knit for us. I use it every day, and I love it so much! She also knit me a gorgeous teal silk shawl to wear on the wedding day, but... I LOST IT!!!!! The night before the wedding I was crying looking for it, and of course, no sign. She was a champ about it... and thankfully it turned up later, safely wrapped in fabric and stashed in the same room I'd searched! I made a Scout tee to wear with it months later, and blogged about it here.)

7. Lego Mini-Me(s)! My awesome family chipped in and made us cupcakes instead of cake, which were topped by Lego figures of jamie and I. Somehow though, the Lego figures got lost that night... so all we have are these pins with pics. (Seriously, I think losing things was the theme of our wedding!) 

****

There you have it! A hopefully not gag-inducing reminiscence of our wedding. Three years ago we had just moved back from Japan (and Jamie had cracked his ankle bone as we left, so a month before the wedding he was on crutches!) It's taken us three years to have jobs, an apartment, and two cats, but life is good, and there is no one I'd rather spend it with. いまからしぬまで, Jamie! 

We had another meet-up in Toronto recently... well, two weeks ago! I don't know how times flies by so fast. 

We started of at the Bata Shoe Museum, working out way up to the newest exhibition, called Fashion Victims: The Pleasures and Perils of Dress in the 19th century. I watch a LOT of documentaries about history, and I thought I'd know most of the stuff, but there was a lot to learn! Plus, it's just so cool to see gloves, shoes and dresses up close - such tiny hands and feet!

From left to right: 

me

my mom, Cathy, who is getting back into sewing with a new machine

Kerry, who was wearing THE CUTEST retro maternity dress (handmade, of course), and also some really nice teal Croc shoes which I'm still envious of! 

Andrea, who is wearing her Oonapalooza outfit

Chloe, in a really great African wax print dress

Catja, wearing her first knit project and a sweater knit by her mom! (Wish I could get in on that.. cough cough... sister dearest?

And Bev, who like Kerry, I was meeting for the first time! 

Who doesn't love an exhibit with a sewing machine? 

After a walk in the rain and a little coffee break, we found our way to local yarn (and fabric) store Ewe Knit for a swap!

They were really kind to ket us use their space  - in the past, we've always done our swaps at a restaurant, but then inevitably the food arrives just as we've spread things out everywhere... This was much more relaxed! (Not to mention that they had wine for us, and a $50 gift card to raffle. Oh my!)

Andrea and Catja!

I'm not a knitter, but there's something about the rainbow display of yarn that makes me wish I was.

Ewe Knit has branched into fabric recently, included a wall of Liberty lawn... 

...and a few bolts of Liberty Jersey!

At Ewe Knit, we were joined by Sara, who was wearing her made-that-day Myrtle from the taupe Liberty jersey on the left... and Kristin used the gift card she won to buy some of the blue and yellow print for herself! 

It was a really fun meet-up, as always... although I have to admit that it took me the better part of two days to mentally recover from being so social. I really am becoming more reclusive in my "old" age.

Oh, and for the record... if you are interested in finding more sewists in your area, I've had really good luck just starting a Facebook group and seeing who shows up! I started the Toronto FB group about 2 years ago, and when I moved in the fall I started a regional group for the area where I live now.

Here are a few of the ways I've found like minded people:

connecting with local knitters, who tend to be more organised, and often know a couple people who sew...

googling bloggers in the area, and leaving comments inviting them to check out the group

chatting to people in the fabric store

and when in doubt, spread the word through family and friends

Once you find a few people, they always know a few more... and then you are set! 

So Oona pointed out to me today that none of the pictures on my blog are pinnable! Ooops! I didn't realise that by setting my Flickr photos to private with high security I was stopping then from being pinned.

I've changed the permissions from the last few months of posts at least... Could you help me out by seeing if the pics are pinnable for you? (You don't have to *actually* pin anything, just see if you can!) 

Thanks!

This, friends, is my sheepish face. Sheepish because I am once again showing you a knit dress (is this the 5th or 6th in a row?). Also sheepish because I admit I kinda love to hate on Colette's knit patterns (so simple! so much ease! so many damn pages to tape together! strange finishing techniques!) but it turns out: I love this dress! 

The fabric is ITY that I bought locally and stashed for a maxi dress - but I'm glad I made it into this instead. It's an almost perfect work dress. Looks pretty, needs no ironing, will work in all seasons, and matches half the cardigans in my closet! (The only imperfect thing - even though I deliberately made alterations to make the drape higher than, say, a Maria of Denmark Day to Night cowl, I still don't think I could bend over without flashing my whole bra. And in a classroom, bending over will always happen!) 

I took a lot of advice from two friends who had made this pattern before me: Stephanie from LoveTeachSew (edited: she just blogged it here!) and Sara from Hamilton Chicklets, (edited: blogged here) who whipped one up and wore it to our Toronto Meet-up. Based on what they told me about their experiences, I did the following: 

Lined the back bodice as well as the front. I'm not a fan of turning and stitching to finish an armhole, as the pattern suggested. 

Swapped out the skirt for (you guessed it!) Kitschy Koo's Comino skirt. The myrtle skirt pattern was 3" wider (which would have given me a skirt with 12" extra ease!) I learned from my Oonapalooza dress that i'm not a fan of a gathered skirt with a blousy top. This skirt has the perfect amount of wearing ease for me. 

Use swim elastic at the waist, instead of doing a channel with1" elastic as suggested. No reason, really - just personal preference. 

Shortened the bodice at least 2" (because I wasn't going to use wide elastic, and because I'm short waisted... and because I fear too much blousing in the bodice!)

Graded from slightly larger than a medium at the waist to an XS at the shoulders. My measurements would have put me in a M at the shoulders and a L at the hips, but as drafted the pattern seems to have very wide shoulders straps (like, *almost* a cap sleeve, which I think looks odd!) 

Once the bodice was put together, I had to: 

Take out an extra 1/2" at the armcye curve from the shoulder seam down.

Scoop out the underarms a bit. I had used stay tape on the seam, and combined with tracing an XS at the shoulder, I can see why I needed extra room. (I have a 42" bust, so just imagine the ease on someone with a 33" bust as suggested!) **Ack! Wait! I just looked at my pattern again, and I graded from a XS at the shoulders to a medium at the bust. I take it all back!  Colette sizing buts me in a L at the bust, and an XL at the hip, so I basically just went down a size at hips and bust, and down 3 sizes at the shoulder.**

Put elastic across the back neck, between the two layers of fabric. I forgot that Colette patterns are always too wide for me back there.

So basically, Myrtle was a starting point - but not much is left as drafted!

What I can say about the pattern is that it was definitively THE WORST pdf I have ever put together. 

It's 60 pages long, but look at the size of those borders! You loose so much of each page to trimming, and that's totally unnecessary. On top of that, the 2 plus sizes are nested as a separate unit, so you have to tape together two of every pattern piece. Worse, the pieces are laid out like this: regular size bodice, next to plus size bodice, next to regular sized skirt, next to plus sized skirt. Why not cluster one size grouping together, and put the other size pieces together too? Then it would be so much easier to only tape half the papers. And the kicker - the giant rectangle of taped pattern pieces is something like 12 pages wide! Huge, unwieldy, and so much margin for error. In the end, the two bodice pieces were all I used, and that could have been printed on 15 pages easily. URGH. 

Now, in fairness, Colette is going to be reconfiguring the pdf and releasing it in sections so you can print only the size range you want. Thank goodness! I don't know how it took them this long to decide to do that. It's not like this is their first PDF pattern.

One comment I've heard from people several times about the pattern is that it doesn't look like the models in Colette's pictures are actually wearing the size prescribed to them, because they don't have as much ease! I'd agree with that... but I think part of that comes from how big the change from size to size is in the larger end of the pattern. For example, each size (s, m, l, xl, 2xl, 2xl) covers two dress sizes for a woven (0,2,4,6,8, etc). In the smaller sizes, than means a range of 2" different in bust size (i.e. if you measure 33" or 34", make an XS) but in the larger sizes it's a 4" range (if you are a 40, 41, 42, or 43", make a large.) That's a big difference in size! If you measure 40" you'll be swimming in it, but on a 43" bust it might look more fitted. I vaguely remember Colette explaining why they did this in some post, but I can't find it now. Personally, i think their knit patterns seems to have too much ease to begin with, but the shift in sizing increments does help explain how that ease could get exaggerated or masked, depending on where you fall in the range. 

That was a lot of kvetching - sorry! The great thing is though, I have a dress I love, and a pattern I'll definitely make again. 

Surprise! I made another dress! And it's a knit! Oh, the thrills and chills, I tell ya. 

This one is near and dear to my heart (ugh, I swear that wasn't a pun) because it's based on the Bronte pattern by Jennifer Lauren. I've gotten to know Jennifer a bit through Me-Made May and our blogs, so it's fun to sew one of her patterns! 

This is a rare project for me that involved multiple muslins to get the fit I wanted. I did TWO muslins, people! Most notably, I narrowed the front shoulders, extended the back tabs longer, and scooped the front neckline at least 3" lower. In retrospect, I could have gone even lower! The skirt is from the Comino cap dress, and the waistband is... just a rectangle. 

The fabric is part of my Wanderlust haul... and I have to say, I loved it less the more I worked with it! After prewashing, it started clinging to itself like mad, which affects the drape. It's a tissue knit, so I had to line the bodice... which of course, led to the eternal conundrum of which seams to sew first... 

Truth be told, I'm quite enjoying lining more of my knit bodices. The more I do it, the more intuitively I can figure out how to sew it together so that I can do alterations as I go. I usually do a combo of clean finishes (thank you, burrito method!) and folded bands where I want it to have more stretch recovery over time.

Case in point: 

For the neckline, I clean finished and topstitched the front bodice, but I went for the folded band across the back bodice because a)I think it's cute and b) I didn't want that part to stretch over time! You can tell I did a slightly shoddy job of topstitching down the overlap - but who cares?

The sleeves were another conundrum... I'd already finished everything else, so when Instagram convinced me sleeves would be cute, I had to set them in the round. *GASP!* I haven't bothered to do that in over a year. (Recently I realised I've probably also avoided zippers for a year or more too. Not that I struggle with them, just that I find them avoidable!) Back to the sleeves though - I slashed and spread about 3" total to try to make flutter sleeves, but they ended up just kinda loose. I sewed them in wrong-side out twice.. recut twice... and generally hated the process.

The dress though, I like! It turned out very wearable, and as close to retro as I've made in a long while. Along the way I got really inspired by these custom knit dresses from Ureshii, which are a fun way to imagine different necklines and skirt shapes put together! A lot of the designs seems to have a similar sort of back bodice/shoulder neckline as Bronte, but often with cut-on sleeves like this or this. I'm curious to give that sort of design a go! (Bonus: Ureshii is run by two Canadian sewists, so I'm hometown proud... and the word "ureshii" means "happy" in Japanese!) 

Phew! That's more than I've yammered on about fit or alterations in a  long time. Guess it comes from finally trying out some new patterns this summer! 

My Oonapalooza dress is done, worn, and photographed! Don't know why that seems like such an accomplishment... but it IS a whole lot of ITY to wrangle!

You might remember my plans: 

You guys wisely told me to do v2, and I did. It's a modified Sewaholic Saltspring, with the front and back neckline raised. I traced a slightly smaller size, since I was using a knit, and took a few inches off the bodice length... I have to admit I didn't use the instructions at all. Instead it was all a big geometry puzzle in my head! 

The straps are a double layer of fold-over elastic (pure laziness on my part) fed through a channel in the front and back bodice. I used swim elastic for the waist (again, laziness and it was all I had in the right width) which does work well because it's quite stretchy but also strong enough to hold up the full maxi skirt!

Putting in a slit was an important part of Oona-fying this dress. The Saltspring skirt is HUGE , so I just cut from waist to hem, sewed to mid-thing, and folded back the rest to finish. It would have more impact if the skirt wasn't as full, I think - it really doesn't show much even when I walk! I *could* have done the slit higher... but truth be told, I always wear legging shorts under skirts to avoid friction, so this is a wearable compromise. 

Along the way, I learned that posing against a wall is harder than Oona makes it look! 

Yeah. You might be getting the vibe by now that I'm not in love with this dress. Nothing wrong with it, and it is perfectly fine... but meh. I'm not sure if it's disappointing because I put a lot of work into altering the pattern, or if it's because it turns out I don't like this high faux-halter neckline as much as I thought I would! I think the dress suffers from being blousey everywhere. I think it would have been more flattering if the top was more body con with a defined waist, or the skirt was smooth at the waist and then flared out dramatically. As is... fine but very demure!

As a result of my haphazard drafting, the back is out lower than the front... and I actually rather prefer the back bodice worn in the front! But then the slit is in the back, and that's just odd...

The great news is that the dress cost less than $20 in materials, and I got to test out my drafting skills and try out a new silhouette in the process. Learning-wise, this dress is a win! I'm sure I'll wear it again sometime... family BBQ maybe, or something like that? For now, I'm happy to move on and think about the next dress - because I still need something to wear to weddings this summer! 

Tell me I'm not alone on being a little disappointed on some projects! What have you worked hard on, only to feel a bit "meh" in the end? 

At a meet-up last weekend, Kristin from K-Line very generously gave me a good-sized chunk of stretch bengaline - that most illusive and mysterious of fabrics! She bought it online from Style Arc, and I've been bugging her ever since to find out what the fabric is like IRL. Lucky me - now I know, and I get to sew with it! Thanks Kristin!!

Stretch bengaline is what Style Arc recommends for their pull-on trousers, like the Elle pants that I love to make. Rumour has it that bengaline is sometimes available stateside, but that the quality varies a lot. (For more on that, read this post from Anne, aka. the Clothing Engineer, who is the Style arc and bengaline guru.)

Since it's such a hard-to-find fabric, I thought I'd do  fabric review video! (Warning - I set the exposure to show the black fabric, so I'm ghostly overexposed for most of the film! ;) 

I think bengaline is one of those fabrics you either appreciate or hate. It's super-stretchy in one direction, and feels, well... like icky polyester. Kristin was obviously not a fan herself - I'll let her explain why, in her own words from this blog post: 

"I don't like Bengaline - and I'm working with the "good" kind - the rayon blend (not the poly blend). I can only imagine how hideous the poly stuff must feel. There's so much fucking stretch that I can pull the pants off without opening the zip. My highly modified (for me) Claudia pants pattern is suited to fabric having a max of 20 per cent stretch and probably 10 per cent stretch factor would be better. The only things I can imagine wearing in Bengaline are panels in a dress (for stretch and contrast), a tailored jacket (that fits with the ease of a cardigan) or VERY close fitted pants. Seriously, you want at least 2 inches of true negative ease, maybe more. I'll try my other yard with the Elle's or "denim" leggings, but I don't suppose I'm going to be a convert. The fabric feels untenably fake. It's a bit sheeny - equally on both sides, IMO, so I couldn't figure which was which. I have no idea if the lighter colours are less or more sheeny but  that would make a difference going forward. (I want matte finish.) Bengaline seems never to iron completely. I mean, it presses a nice seam, but it's almost like you iron-in the wrinkles as you go. It didn't take my fusible interfacing well so there's a bit of weird overstretch bubbliness on the underside of the facing (not a deal breaker but ugly)."

That's pretty clear, isn't it? :P (BTW, on the off chance you don't read her blog, you should, because it's scathing and insightful and funny in equal proportions!)

So what IS good about bengaline? Well, the RTW pants I owned in the past were great because they never wrinkle, they don't bag out through the day, and they last forever. Yes, they feel polyestery and require no-VPL underwear... but they'll stretch to fit you through thick and thin, and they look professional**, are washable, and are comfy as hell.

**Caveat: In my line of work the average day included getting chalk dust on my tush, some kid smearing boogers or paint on me, and leading stretches in gym - so stretchy, easy-care pants are a good thing! On the other hand, if I worked in a really nice office and those weren't considerations, this probably wouldn't be the fabric for me.

Have you touched, sewn with, or worn stretch bengaline before? What did you think? 

ps. I've started a new section for fabric review videos in the headbar just under my blog logo. Easier to keep everything in one place! :) 

The Kitschy Coo Comino Cap dress feels like an instant classic. Lady Skater never quite worked for my figure, but somehow this one makes me feel chic and comfy at the same time! 

The green version was a muslin trial... it's just too bad that when I first got the fabric I thought it was *too* green so I tried to dye it darker... which didn't change the colour but did leave dark splodges on some parts! Darn. It's a very thin rayon cotton from fabric.com, which does rather show all the bumps and lumps under it. Even with a slip. Darn again. Guess I just need more green fabric? 

The navy is the bamboo knit that I showed in my fabric.com haul video... and it sewed up just as nicely as I hoped. Hart's has similar fabric in a whole bunch of colours, and I'm seriously tempted to order a lot of it! 

Back to the pattern. I shortened the bodice about 2", and put fold-over elastic at the waist seam to keep it snug. The "waist" on both dresses sits just at the bottom of my rib cage, which is quite high - but that's how I like it! My hips start right under my ribs, so an empire waist is more flattering on me. 

(Actually, when I first made the green dress is did a nice little blousey thing at the waist... 

...but then for some reason I now forget, I had to resew that seam and lost some of that length. The elastic was too tight, maybe? I'd like to explore that style again on another version though...)

What I like most about the pattern is the wide scoop neck that still manages to cover bra straps. The cap sleeves fit nicely, too. I think I have more ease in the skirt than the design calls for, because I raised the waist, but I like how it turned out. 

It's the perfect basic dress, really. It would look great with a belt (but I hate the thought of wearing a stiff belt when I'm in a stretchy dress), and it's going to be great for layering and accessorizing. This version, without the sweetheart neckline, is the sort of wardrobe basic that you could wear all the time without people noticing the repeats. Not a show stopper (at least not the way I've sewn it), but the sort of dress that gets worn again and again!

Time for another fabric haul! I just received an order from Wanderlust Fabrics, so I made a quick video to show what the fabrics are like. (BTW, the comments on my haul videos of Fabric.com and Girl Charlee had lots of interesting discussion in the comments, so thank you!)  

Wanderlust seems to be a fairly new online store - at least, I hadn't heard about it until recently! They are sponsoring True Bias in her Hudson Pant sewalong. I've come across them on a few other blogs too, and so far the reviews seem positive. 

I'm happy to report that I'm also very pleased! As you can see in the video, all three fabrics I ordered are nice, and they sent along a bundle of swatches that are all good quality. (No caked ink here!) The descriptions of weight seem accurate. Most fabrics are $6.50/yard, so it's quite affordable. 

The only downside for me is that the shop doesn't have a way to automatically calculate international shipping, so you have to ask for a quote through email. I got a response right away, which was great, but I prefer the independence of being about to experiment with different order combinations to get the most fabric for the lowest shipping! For example, I originally asked for a shipping quote for 4 yards of fabric, which ended up being about $21 shipping for $26 worth of fabric. I emailed back to ask if the shipping cost would change if I ordered a few more yards, and ended up getting 6m shipped for the same $21 shipping.

Of course, those shipping costs are what USPS charges, and I'm not questioning that cost... it's just a matter of wanting to make it better value by filling up the package! I almost never shop from online stores that make me put in an order and THEN ask for a quote. It's surprisingly common, but really annoying. The shipping cost is a big part of the price for me, and I can't make decisions without knowing what it will cost. I'm sure there's some reason it's hard to quote international shipping, but I really appreciate when it is possible!

That said, I'll definitely be buying at Wanderlust again! I like the selection of prints and the quality is good. Stock seems to change quickly, so (oh no!) I'll just *have* to check back regularly. Life is hard sometimes, right? ;) 

(BTW, if there are any Wanderlust Fabric you are thinking of purchasing, I might have a swatch, so let me know if you want me to report back to you on a particular print!) 

It's a Nettie-Misu! Nettie bodice, and Tiramisu half-circle skirt. Basically, it's a Moneta/Lady Skater copycat that fits my shape better than either of those patterns actually do. That, my friends, is the magic of sewing! 

The fabric is from the recent Girl Charlee order that I did a video about. It was the one piece of fabric I was happy with... but I'm very happy with it! The bodice is lined in black jersey, like the contrast waistband. I chose the finish the neckline cleanly by sewing it to the lining, but I finished the arms with a folded band. I figured that the bands would help support the dress, and not let the weight of the skirt pull down the bodice. (To tell the truth, my first bands were accidentally cut with the grain, and ended up way to tight... I managed to cobble together scraps to make bands cut with the stretch, which turned out loose but better than before!)

Look, no gaping! One of the reasons that I wanted to try the Nettie bodice is that I'd like to make some, well, slightly sexier and more youthful dress for summer! Most of what I sew is work-wear, but I'd like to break out of that rut. I went back and forth on this one, raising the neckline then lowering it again... next time I think I'll make it a little lower for my desired effect! I also cut out sleeves, but decided to skip them so that this would count for the Summer Sundress Sewalong!

I have to admit, I've got a love/hate relationship with this set of pictures. On the one hand: Ermagerd, I think I look pretty! That is not how I think of myself in real life. On the other hand, the magic is entirely down to using a 50mm lens that makes everything look washed in light, and creates shallow depth of field so that the backgrounds are softly blurred. Oh, and makeup - remembering to put on more makeup than I usually would so that it shows up as normal on camera! (For what it's worth, none of these pictures are edited - they are straight from the camera.) 

The other big trick is lighting from behind, I'd never tried standing between the camera and the light until Creating in the Gap wrote about her photo tips during Me-Made May. Here's a photo with that same lens, but without light behind me... 

Fine but certainly no magically flattering! (Incidentally, this is THE ONLY picture I got where you can see how long my skirt is!)

So to balance out how flattering the pictures are above, here's a couple of outtakes which perfectly capture the range of expressions I make when displeased while teaching!

Four Stages of Teacher Face: (From left to right)

1. Is that kid really doing that?

2. I see you doing that. 

3. Stop now. 

4. You will stop that RIGHT NOW. 

(Step five is me frowning my face off with lips pursed, telling you EXACTLY what bad choice you are making! In kindergarten, it's probably something like "You are hurting ____. They said stop!" or with 10 year-olds "You are drawing on your desk. Students need to use that for years to come!") 

It's funny to see versions of teacher-face on myself, because obviously, there's no mirror for me to look in when I'm in the middle of class! (I did once accidentally teacher-glare at my husband when he hopped up and rolled on an Ikea cart - he stopped immediately, and confessed 5 min later that I scared him! Oops!)

I'm sure we've all got variations on these faces, the ones we never show to the camera or even the mirror, and certainly not on our blog! As a blogger, I take heaps of pictures, and delete the ones where I'm wonky-eyed, grimacing, double-chinned, or just generally looking crazy. I think that's a good thing, too - it's certainly helped my self-esteem in the past 3 years of blogging to feel like I can actually be pretty in pictures! On the other hand, life isn't all finish garments and backlit photos, so it's nice to keep it real. 

With that, back to the magic of a good lens and some backlighting!

I like this dress, and I'll definitely be making more! 

How do you feel when you take good pictures of yourself? And do you have any "Stop that!" facial expressions that your family might recognise even better than you would yourself?

Can you tell which pattern I used? 

There's a slight hint in the hem of the white pair... They are, in fact, Prefontaine Shorts! Except I got quickly bored with sewing the distinctive piping, and then I got bored of sewing patch pockets, and voile - I have 3 pairs of very basic shorts! 

I think the pattern is excellent - I was so pleased to find that the back crotch curve almost perfectly matches my TNT Style Arc Elle pants.The front crotch curve is all kinds of crazy on me, but I find I really don't care. These are shorts for lounging around the house or doing errands. And for that, they are perfect!

All three pairs are made with stretch twill with about 30% stretch. The pockets are lined with quilting cotton. I wanted to avoid unflattering gathered fabric in the front, so between the two pockets the waistband is stable and not stretchy. The other 3/4 of the waistband have elastic, though really, I should have been brave and pulled it tighter. They all slouch down pretty fast... but then again, I don't really care! 

It's been a few years since I had shorts that fit, so I'm really enjoying throwing these on when the weather is hot! (The rest of the time I can be found huddled under a quilt on the couch... :)

Of course, this is the time of year when teaching suddenly becomes the best job ever. Two whole months of vacation? Oh yeah, baby. Of course, Jamie and I are both unpaid over the summer, and I don't have any work yet for fall, but ya know, vacation!!!

We live in a little triplex apartment, so summer is filled with the sounds of people and kids talking, fighting, playing, and listening to universally terrible music. I've been enjoying the luxury of having time to paint my nails: black fingers, in Jamie's honour, and pink, orange and gold toes. I've also been seeing lots of friends and family, which is a real treat. We also bought an eliptical machine, and have been trying to work out at home. So far so good, although MAN I'm out of shape!

Most fun of all, we adopted a second cat two weeks ago! His name is Frank (Both cats are named after the mad scientists from Mystery Science Theatre 3000). Frank is 8 years old and very chill... Clay is now 1 year old, and rather spooked! They are both getting more relaxed by the day now, even going so far as to sleep or play in the same room for short periods of time. It's progress! Having cats to watch and care for really does make our lives so much richer. Three cheers for cats! 

Wow! I'm relieved that you enjoyed my fabric haul videos - and glad that many people took the time to leave really in depth comments. Thank you! 

One of this topics that came up in the comments is how more and more quilting cotton companies are starting to release knits. I think this is a brilliant change in the industry - but are the knits any good? I thought maybe we could pool our experiences so that we can shop smart!

Looking around online, here are the quilting cotton lines that seem to branching out into knits - and what I've heard, if anything, about their quality!

(And since several people mentioned how pleased they are with shopping at Hawthorne Threads, I figured I'd use their site for links. Thanks to Gail who pointed out just how many knits they have now!) 

Riley Blake: They've been into knits for a while, and seem to have a good selection of basic graphic dots, stripes, and chevrons. I know Steph from Sewing Cake has been pleased with the Riley Blake knits she's used... according the post I link to, she says they wash and wear well, don't curl badly when you sew, and are printed on grain!

Westminster Knits, including Anna Maria Horner: Listed as interlock, so probably quite stable? 

Robert Kaufmann Laguna Jersey: These have been around for quite a while too. Lots of variety of solids and prints! 95% Cotton/5% Spandex. Robert Kaufmann also has other prints. 

Briar Rose Knits by Heather Ross:  Finally one I've touched! I bought some of this from fabric.com and it was AWFUL. It's interlock (which makes me afraid of all those other interlocks) with almost no stretch and the same crusty ink that bugged me about Girl Charlie fabrics. Definitely NOT something I would recommend! It's made by Windham, so I'd be wary if they start releasing other knits...

Art Gallery: They are releasing a bunch of interlock prints in September - I'm curious to see how they are! 

April Rhodes: Also produced by Art Gallery, but these are a 95% Cotton/5% Spandex blend. Heather made a top recently in this tomahawk print, and she said the quality is good - like a slightly lighter Lillestoff, I think she said, which is high praise! 

The curious thing that jumps out at me is that so many companies are coming out with interlocks instead of jersey. Why? (For reference, a classic man's t-shirt would be made of interlock. Beefy, little stretch, not much drape. I stand corrected! Lisa G points out below that men's shirts are jersey... I did some research and an interlock would look like the right-side of jersey on both sides. Could be soft, thick and stretchy, or very stable.) Is a stable knit more appeal for people used to sewing with quilting cotton? Or is it more popular for kid's clothes? To my mind, a cotton/spandex jersey blend is much more forgiving, both for sewing and wearing. In my dream world, they'd make drapey rayon knits too!

Now to my point: Have you touched/bought/sewn with any of these brands of knit? If you have, or know of a blogger who has, please let us know what the fabric is like in the comments below. I'll make a second post with more detailed reviews, if we come up with more information! And if you haven't sewn with these knits, what kind of base fabric would you like them to use?