New Ursa

Hi Everyone 

I’ve started a new sweater knit - it’s another Ursa by Jacqueline Cieslak. This time, I’m using  cotton yarn - creative cotton, Aran in a lovely French Navy colour by Rico Design. I’m using the same needles (6.5mm) as my previous Ursa. You can check out my first Ursa here. I’ve chosen to start this 

cotton version because it seems a perfect Summer sweater. I’m hoping, I can use this new sweater as a layering garment when the weather is a little cool. I’ve worn my first Ursa over the last few weeks but it’s probably a bit too warm to wear the wool (regularly) until Summer is over.

                   

I’ve made reasonable progress, I’ve only been knitting the cotton version for a few days or so, alongside several pairs of socks. Knitting with the cotton yarn is not as easy as the wool. The largish needles can also feel a bit cumbersome but I’m loving the resulting knitted fabric. I swatched for the sweater and am reasonably confident the size is right. However, I have history with sizing and this pattern so I’m prepared to have to start again if all doesn’t work out. I’ll concentrate on the Ursa this weekend and hopefully make good progress. I’ve seen several successful versions of the Ursa in yarns other than wool and all have worked out well. However, I’ve not come across any 100% cotton versions, so far. Hopefully, I’ll have something significant to share next week.

Have a great weekend. I’ll be back on Monday with more Making stories.

The Jeans Saga continues...

Hi Everyone 

Following on from yesterday’s blog, the jeans have been recut along with lots of new pattern pieces. The new jeans to be will be a mash of the original idea, the Palo design by Named and the Morgan Jeans by Closet Case, I have more patch pieces on both the front and back leg sections, although the back legs have stayed very similar to the original (only a length extension). Generally, I’ve used all the bits of fabric from my original 1.6m of denim. Some smaller pattern pieces such as one section of the yoke have been patched together but generally, I managed to get all the new pattern from my 1.6m of fabric.

The new cut will be much more like the pair of jeans I would like. All the pieced sections will lend themselves to my Sashiko embroidery plan. The embroidery element is some time away ! Read back for the idea here.

            

I have a curious mix of anxiety and excitement as to the next step. My plan could all go very wrong at any point. I’m going to baste the legs sections and do an initial fit today, this will let me know if the jeans will work. If all is not well, I’ll need to buy some more denim and redo whichever bit isn’t working. I have very little denim left - only a few scraps for mending purposes. However, I’m feeling hopeful about this one.

My other little Making story is about a shirt remake. This shirt belonged to my eldest son. It’s too small and I rather like the fabric. I’ve a few ideas about a refashioned top but need to reconstruct the shirt to see exactly how much fabric I have. I’ll do that today and check my options. What have this space for developments. 

Thanks for calling in today.

The Jeans Saga

Hi Everyone 

As predicted, I’ve run into big problems with my new jeans project. You can read about the idea here. Everything was going well and then, during the first fit, things changed ! I mentioned in my previous post, the issue of a high waist pattern design. A high waist was never going to work for me, I have a very short upper body so I knew I would need to alter the fit. However, the first fit placed the front pocket section almost under my arms. The back waist section also didn’t work, I had a different waist profile and found the pleat section simply sticking out. So, I knew the waist section would need to change. 

                  

Because of the construction order of the original jeans pattern, Palo Jeans by Named, I had completed quite a significant section of the Make. I found myself undoing lots of the seams and recut the legs. The waist area, especially the pockets caused the majority of the issues and it was back to the drawing board !

Eventually, my solution is to recut the front and back of the jeans using my Morgan jeans by Closet Case Patterns as a guide. The denim pieces don’t quite measure up to the new lines so I’ll adapt what I’ve got and add sections where necessary. The key is to get the waist working and everything else will fit into my design. 

One of the main points of this Make was to give me a blank canvas for the Sashiko embroidery idea. Read about this here. The new design will be perfect because there are so many different pieces of denim working to give me the final shape of the jeans. Each separate piece of denim will be an opportunity for an interesting section of Sashiko. 

I’m almost at the recut stage - a little more unpicking to do. I have my new pattern ready and will recut the waist pieces later today. Watch this space- it could take more time than I had initially anticipated. It’s quite an interesting process, I’m still enthusiastic !

Thanks for calling in today. 

Ready to wear

Hi Everyone 

I’ve managed to complete my planned Summer Top over the Bank Holiday weekend. This was a very quick Make. Read back on Fridays blog for the first mention of this project. I left out all the gathered edges (from the previous versions of the pattern) and made a simple sleeveless top. The top is lovely, I particularly like the fabric pattern and colour. The cut is flattering and very comfortable to wear.

         

I need to get the iron out ! - and I’m ready to go. The only issue seems to be the weather, it’s been quite chilly here and not quite Summer Top temperatures. I’m hoping the weather picks up over the next few days - so I can wear my top.
There’s not much more to say about the top. The pattern, Butterick 5792, is a nightwear pattern but works wonderfully as a simple top. This time I used the version without any pleats (check out the previous pleated version here).

I will definitely be making another Summer Top. Next time, I’m planning to used the bias binding on the outside of the neck and sleeve edges - just as a change. This will give the top a slightly different finish but still a very simple construction. I have some fabric ready go, so hopefully another new Top will be ready to wear over the next few days.

Thanks for calling in today.

Another Summer Top

Hi Everyone 

I’m sharing another Summer Top idea today. Again, I’m following the usual Butterick 5792 pattern, I’m certainly getting my money’s worth out of this pattern ! I’m going for another simple shape, without the frills. You can read/see about the first Summer top here, with the frills.

I’ve been looking into my stash for this Make. I have lots of fabrics which will be perfect for the Summer Top but this one seeemd to shout out to me. I love the colour and the simple pebble shapes in the fabric. It’s a soft and reasonably drapey cotton, perfect for a simple Summer Top.

              

I’m hoping, I can get the top cut out later today. The whole Make should be quite quick, although, I don’t like to think about quick sewing. My preference is to make all the construction elements beautiful (the inside needs to be as pretty as the outside) and enjoy the whole Making experience. However, the weather is good for wearing these Summer Tops at the moment, so it would be lovely to have a few new tops to wear over the weekend. I’ve got several fabrics waiting for the this pattern, see another of my fabrics shared earlier this week here.

I’ll share my progress with these projects next week. It’s a Bank Holiday on Monday so I’ll be back on Tuesday.

Thanks for calling in today. Have a great weekend.