Woolly Kimono

A few months ago in my Burda magazine there was a lovely kimono pattern, but I never got round to making it.

 In the pattern book it was made from lace with a satin lining but I didn't have lace or satin and quite frankly that didn't seem very warm with winter just round the corner.

 I did have a long piece of navy marl knitted fabric.  I got it as a bit of a mistake, I wanted a different fabric which I bought on the internet in a sale.  Then the seller told me there wasn't enough of my first choice fabric and so I chose another fabric to make up the quantity.  Then in the end, due to flaws in the fabric, I ended up with not enough of my chosen fabric and a huge quantity of the navy marl.  C'est la vie.

Then this weekend in my panic that I won't have enough warm clothes for winter, I realised that I could make the kimono.  So I set to work....

 and as the pattern was very simple I soon had another nice warm jacket cum cardi.

As it's not very warm in my house tonight, I'm wearing it right now.

More winter clothes need to be made soon.

The Shrimp Pink Jacket

Here it is, the result of my Sewing Sunday,

I know I should have made more of the sunshine but dare I say it, it was actually a bit too hot this afternoon - I did go out this morning when it was cooler.  Also I have been promising myself a Sewing Sunday for ages and it had to be today because Sunday's are a bit booked up for the next few weeks.

 Here is the picture from the magazine, and the pattern pieces.  It's a asymetrical double breasted unlined jacket.  The right front forms a soft drape above the fastening.  The fabric that I used was a lovely shrimp pink cotton, that I haven't known what to do with. The jacket is unlined as I didn't have any suitable lining in my stash.

 I only had two metre's of fabric and the pattern requirement was 2.45m, but with a bit of careful positioning I got all the pieces out of my fabric.

I was doing really well the main seams were sewn, including the collar.  Then I set it the first sleeve.  I was very pleased with how it went, until I turned it right side out and realised it was back-to-front.  I was most annoyed to have to waste time unpicking the seam.  Both sleeves were set eventually.

The seams and pocket flap are all topstitched.

and I finally used the self cover poppers that were in the box of treasures that came from my nan.

I am enormously pleased with the result. It needs a good iron (unfortunately doing the ironing is my next job). I have an important meeting at work on Tuesday and I plan to wear the jacket then.

I must hunt out some of the thicker material from my stash.  I now have so many ideas, I do have time to make them all.

The long and the short of it

 Unfortunately I have no time for the sewing Sunday that I had planned for this week, but with a bit of effort I can make the items over several evenings this week and next week. I have to apologise for the pictures bit my camera doesn't take good photo's when it's dark!

 As the winter Bermuda shorts I have planned for the jade (or perhaps its more emerald?) cord is a new pattern I found time on Wednesday evening to trace the pattern out.  On Thursday evening I laid the pattern on the fabric and cut it out.  Here's the pattern laid out, it looks a bit messy as I only roughly cut out the paper pattern.

It was a bit of a tight squeeze to fit it all onto my 1 meter of fabric but I managed.  My nan taught me lay out a pattern when I was young and she developed her skills during the war when making kids clothes from worn adult clothing was common.  As long as the pieces are placed on the grain correctly you can usually use quite a lot less fabric than the pattern suggests.  This is all the material I had left - maybe enough for two patch pockets.


 I admit I did have to make the facings from a different material - part of an old pale green sheet!

and here's the actual pieces ready to sew.

 I spent Friday evening happily sewing (whilst my henna hair colour developed).
 The shorts have a side opening which the pattern suggested was closed with snap fasteners, but I had visions of these popping open every time I sat down or bent over.  I wanted a more secure fastening and as I was using a chunk cord fabric I opted for the hammer-on type of jeans buttons.

When I first cut the fabric I was worried that the shorts would be too small, but actually they fit really well.  This isn't the most flattering picture

Nest week I'll make the navy cardi to go with these, ready to wear when we go out for a meal with family on the 1st October.

A new Jacket

I had another sewing sunday today.  I made a jacket from some suade faux suade.  I used a new pattern, and I had some problems with it and although I made some alterations, I'm not sure that I'm happy with it.  Here's the first picture of the finished item.  There will be more on the pattern and my modifications later this week, as I must go to finish the Sunday roast now.

Sewing Sunday

I have been promising myself a sewing Sunday for a while.  Since I started my new running training schedule I usually go for a long run on Sunday and then I don't have enough time for sewing.  I had this wonderful peice of printed chiffon in the stash inherited from my nan.  Inspired by the pattern, and some tops that I have seen in the shops, I wanted to make a simple tunic.  A complicated design would have ruined the pattern and made everything far too busy.

I used to subscribe to a magazine that gave free patterns, and I got this tunic pattern years ago.  It's very simple and I have made it at least five times now in different lengths, with different sleeves and necklines.  This time I am putting on the tie neck as shown in the picture and I'm doing a long sleeved version.  I won't put the slits up the side of the tunic.

The material was cut..

and pinned and tacked and sewing commenced.

Millie posed for a fitting

 The neck tie was finished by hand and I put elastic through the cuffs to draw them in at the wrist.  I tried putting on a proper cuff, but it looked wrong with the pattern.  

Here's me wearing the top. 

 

It need's to be properly pressed and I'm planning to wear it next week at daughter's birthday party.

Late result

Sorry this is a bit late, but here is the result of my sewing sunday efforts - The black hooded and belted short cape. It ended up being photographed whilst 'modelled' by an office chair! But it doesn't look too bad, the picture doesn't show clearly that it is fully lined and the hood lining is a rather lovely paterned ctton (and there's enough left for a blouse).

I'm just darning in all the ends on the intarsia rose gloves, and hope to post them early next week , along with the matching cowl.

I have also completed my list of presents to make, so these should be appearing on the blog in the next few weeks as well, minus any mention of the recipient of course - just in case some of them look in.