Thrifted Potential

I had a little time off recently and so of course I visited my favourite thrift stores - among other activities as well. There are  few in my area that I don't get to very often so it was a bit of  treat to browse around. 

I always like looking for older patterns and I found some wonderful Stitch & Sew that I didn't already own. I like that brand so it was fun to get another bunch to add to my collection. The Midi Dress is most immediately tempting. I also found an 80s dress (I am not capable of passing those up!) and a 90s "Western style" blouse pattern with really interesting details. 

I also gathered a handful of buttons all quite different from one another. Some sets large enough to actually use for a project! 

And since my stash is getting a little unwieldy I have been careful not to add too much lately. But I found this print (a single duvet) and just couldn't resist it. It's a bit more muted than my usual colours but I like it a lot - hard to capture the colour well, it's a greenish grey/blue. Looks a bit too green in the picture but best I could do!

I have had a lot of fun at the thrift store this summer but my shelves suggest that maybe it's time to send some things in the opposite direction 😄

Thrifty Sewing Fun

I haven't been out thrifting as much as usual over the last few months - weather and a busy schedule have both affected my shopping time! But I got out to my favourite thrift stores recently, and have some wonderful new finds to share. 

I have been lucky with some greens -- the solid green is a linen blend, quite soft and with a blue/yellow shimmer. I'm thinking a summer dress. The bottom fabric is a quality jersey, just enough for a nice soft tee. Probably the Kirsten Tee by Maria Denmark, as I've made it before and it is a great staple. 

And I found some sewing patterns! Harder to find at the thrifts lately as my favourite shop has inexplicably decided they are not putting out sewing patterns in their craft section any more. :(  Found these ones elsewhere. 

My luckiest find lately, however, is this really fun lapel pin! I love brooches and this one was irresistible, for obvious reasons. So cute. I'm sure I have many things to wear this with. 

And adding one more bit of fabric...I just came across this fab sheet in the linens aisle on my last thrifting trip. I don't think it has ever been used. And it's so very 80s I couldn't let it go. Had to buy it and will now have to figure out what to do with it. But I love this print! It's so much fun finding odd bits while thrifting, even if I have slowed down with how much I can bring home with me. I really enjoy this part of my sewing life :)

Burda Sweater in Grey Merino

 

This week I finished a very warm top made from some merino wool jersey. It's a lightweight, two-way stretch fabric, which I received from Our Social Fabric in Vancouver as part of their Sew & Show program. Once you've joined, they select a specific deadstock fabric every couple of months, and you can opt in if you want to participate in that round. You can make what you like with it -- this was my first project for them. 

I've never sewn with merino before so I had a hard time deciding which pattern I was going to use. But I knew I wanted a comfortable top that had a little more oomph than a t-shirt. I finally went with a Burda magazine pattern, 131 from the August 2013 issue. 

The fun part of this pattern is that there is an integrated scarf, sewn into the front piece. You then wrap that around your neck and tie as wished. It was a bit puzzling to lay out but once I found enough room to do so it went smoothly. This pattern has four pieces: the really large front, a back, raglan sleeve and neckband. It sewed up really quickly and easily! 

I had a hard time figuring out how to cut the scarf and the front seam that attaches it all together. Should I add seam allowance to this part? Thinking about Burda patterns, I realized they are always a little wide in the neck for me so I didn't add seam allowance to the scarf and centre seams, thinking that would narrow it just enough for me anyhow. And that worked. I added on 1/2" seam allowance everywhere else, as I usually do. 

Back is pretty plain - please excuse this strange pose 😄

The only other alterations involved shortening the sleeves - as always for me. I took off a full 2" here, and they ended up just right. This is a lightweight fabric, and I was wearing it with my poly knit skirt and poly acrylic cardigan so it did get a little bit staticky. Sorry for the wrinkles here, I hadn't shaken it out properly. 

Otherwise, this was easy to sew and comfortable to wear. It was very light on but also very warm. I found the scarf really comfy, it laid nicely and didn't pull at all once it was tied and arranged. A heavier fabric would probably hold the shape of this top a bit more, but I found it nice in this merino and enjoyed the little bit of extra puzzle to the pattern. I did worry a bit whether the wool would bother me as a base layer like this, but it was soft and easy to wear, not scratchy at all and as it turned out, I found it very comfortable and airy. A really nice experiment for me!

All styled up! 

Impulse Sewing: a yellow print top

I made a quick boxy top this week, totally unplanned and not at all what I had scheduled in the sewing room! I was given just over 1 m. of this yellow polycotton by a coworker, and I picked up a couple of older sewing patterns at the thrift store a day or two later. They came together serendipitously and I quickly made a pullover top; the square neckline appealed to me! 

This is a crisp fabric, even after washing, so the shape is really boxy. But I really like the print and the way the neckline holds its shape. I can wear it tucked in or loose over something, although I think I might add some side slits to make that option a little more comfortable. 

I used a pattern from a series that was connected to a book that you got pattern instructions to file into, and then the matching patterns. I've seen quite a few of these patterns while thrifting (even own a few more) but have never seen the instructions to go with them. The patterns are all pretty clear, though, if you've been sewing for a while, and this one in particular was very easy so no instructions were needed. 

I measured the pattern pieces, and took 1/2" out of centre front as well as shortening it by using the lengthen/shorten line on the pattern - that was perfect. I added interfacing to the facing pieces, and sewed it all up pretty quickly. The sleeves had a bit too much ease in the sleeve cap for my liking; there were puckers in the shoulder seam. They are minor and unnoticeable due to the print but I will probably redo them to get a smoother finish at some point! 

This was a fast project, and a colourful one. I like a pullover top, and I love the colours of this fabric. It's very simple, so not perfect; there are no bust darts so the fit can't be adjusted much, for example. But as a quick & easy make it did the trick!

I AM Barbara in Skull & Crossbones

I've had this project in mind for a few months, and with a weekend of intense sewing, managed to get it made in time for my Halloween workwear! 

The I AM Barbara blouse caught my eye a while back - I don't have anything like it; it was the flounces that interested me. I like the ones with the least flounce to them, and thought that this fabric was a perfect match to this design. I bought it with this project in mind, and happily it all came together just as nicely as I'd imagined in my head! 

The fabric was originally a 100% cotton IKEA sheet, which I bought at the Goodwill. When I saw it, it looked like a repeated print in black & white, which fits into my wardrobe parameters. But when I looked a little closer, I saw that it is tiny skull & crossbones. How delightful! 

And, the fabric is very soft and light, so I thought that a double layer, like in the Barbara blouse, would work well with it. It wouldn't be too bulky, and it would also be a bit more wearable if two layers make it a tiny bit less transclucent. 

I really enjoyed sewing this, even if I was pushing myself to finish it. The instructions were clear, even with some fussy bits like the front hidden placket piece.

I ended up not doing it perfectly but close enough to wear and be functional - that's all I ask! I also made a small boo-boo on one cuff, which buttons the opposite way to the other, but that's easily fixable but removing and replacing that cuff. I will do that at some point ;) 

I cut a 42/44 with a little more width at the hip/hem. And I had to shorten the sleeve by 5/8", which meant also shortening the flounces. I didn't take any length off the body of the blouse, in fact I added 1/2" to the bottom to give me more hem allowance. I think that it's just right. 

I used flat black buttons for the placket, but used 4 hole buttons for the collar and cuffs (the visible buttons) so that I could stitch them on in an X pattern using white thread, to echo the print. I really love everything about this! 

The fabric is so soft to wear, and works really well with this design. The only slight drawback is that it needs a lot of pressing! I love it and am so glad I pushed to get it done. This is an interesting design that I enjoyed making, and I also love the fabric a lot. 

A Lined Jerkin from Sew Different

I had a sudden urge to make this quick layering piece this month. The Lined Jerkin by Sew Different is a pattern in their Layer Up Collection. It's the free pattern from the set, and so I thought I'd give it a try. 

I had a remnant of black and white wool blend in my stash, which I picked up at a thrift store ages ago. I'd always wondered what I could make of this small piece, which had one small hole in a white section of the print. This pattern fit onto my 1 m. piece easily, although I did have to mend the hole first as it was pretty much in the middle of the back pattern piece. But that was fairly easy. 

Mend: I took a matching section from the cutaway scraps and placed it underneath. Then I stitched over it with matching thread (by hand) to first secure it down, then tried to follow the weave to attach both pieces together. I then trimmed the inside piece so it wasn't too bulky. You really can't tell once you are more than a few inches from the fabric. Then I went ahead with construction.

Inside patch

 

Outside after mending

Making it was easy - it's a boxy layer to throw on over a tee or dress, with a lining to make it easy to get on and off. It's essentially the same piece but with a deeper neckline on the front piece. They're attached and then the lining sewn in at the neckline, the armholes edges turned under and hand-stitched, and the outer fabric encloses the lining at the hem. I did lengthen it by one inch but might remove that...haven't decided yet!

It's quite cute and I like it in this fabric. I think if I made it again, I would narrow the front piece by an inch at centre front just to suit me better. But I think it's a fun idea that will add some variety to plainer underlayers. And it was a quick make that allowed me to finally use this fabric! 

Warm & Cozy Sewing for the Season

I was inspired to sew up a Warm & Cozy project for the fall, thanks to the PatternReview September contest of the same name. (And you can now vote for my project here, if you are a PR member!)

I had picked out a pattern that I wanted to make (Simplicity 2289, by Patty Reed) but hadn't found the right fabric in the stash. Then I went to a craft swap at my library, and came home with 3 pieces of fabric -- one of them this teal poly knit that I had just enough of to make this snuggly tunic!

So I decided that this project could be made in a week, and got busy with it. There were previous reviews at PR, which was good as there are some sizing things to look out for with this pattern. It's clearly really oversize, intended for a fabric that can drape a bit. But the neckline and arms are quite closely fitted in comparison to the rest of the pattern. I usually cut a 14 or 16 at the shoulders and grade out to an 18 in many patterns, but in this one I just cut a Med (14/16) all through. There is a lot of ease in the body. 

I sewed up the under-sleeve seam with a 3/8" allowance rather than 5/8" -- this was suggested by a previous maker at PR, and I found that it worked perfectly. The sleeves fit closely but are not tight. And the rest of it falls from the shoulder, essentially. There are 2 large patch pockets, which are great, and proportionately right for this top. The only thing I may change is to shorten it by another inch or so -- I feel that I didn't get the short sewist measurements just right and it's a bit long. But I do kind of like that I can snug my knees up under it when I'm sitting and reading ;) 

I don't usually use polyester fabrics anymore, but this one was from a swap, and the colour and texture were just great. So I gave it a go. It's a bit staticky (poly...) but it is nice and cozy! Just those few sizing things to watch for if you make this one also. 

Denim Look Vogue Dress

Now here's a dress that has been waiting its turn! I first planned to make this dress in thrifted fabric from a thrifted pattern way back in April of 2020. And I have proof that I cut it out in July of 2020 -- but then it sat on the project shelf until now. I thought that 2 years was plenty long enough for it to wait, so got it out and finished it up in August 2022. 

This was an affordable dress; both the pattern (Vogue 9166) and the fabric (denim look but very lightweight cotton) were thrifted. In fact, the most expensive part of this dress was probably the zipper, as I had to buy it full price since somehow I was out of navy zips! The topstitching thread is new but I did buy it in 2020...

I was so eager to get pics in this nice evening light that I forgot I hadn't
pressed the back yet!! It looks better now that it's had an iron ;)

Anyhow, this is a simple fitted dress, with panel seams front and back, and the extra detail of a triple topstitched line at neck and sleeve. I guess that's what makes it Vogue ;) It had no pockets but of course I just used my favourite pocket pattern and added in some side seam pockets. I need functionality! 

The hardest part was getting the curved seams pressed nicely. I pressed them to one side, clipping at the curves to assist them in lying flat. The topstitching, being such a strong contrast, made me nervous, so I practiced a bit on some scraps (which I'd conveniently left with the cut out dress) to get them right before I started on the dress.

I ended up going with a 3.5 length stitch, and reduced the tension slightly. The sleeves went very well but I had some trouble with the start of the neckline rows; it was hard to get them straight with the lumpy zipper seam there as well. It took a lot of patience and some redoing to get it done to my satisfaction.

I'm quite happy with this project and even if it did have to wait two years to get finished, it now works well with my Blue & Yellow sewing plans of this year. This pattern was also fun to make since when I took it out of the envelope, it had been cut out with all my regular size grading already. 

The only thing I had to change was to shorten it an inch above the waist. I guess the original owner was my size doppelganger ;) I had cut it at 16 neck, bust and waist and graded out to 18 from just at the waist to the hip, which was pretty much what the pattern was prepped for. However, there was a shoulder pad allowance that also needed to be removed from the pattern so that it would fit the shoulder without the extra padding. I do think I will take it in a smidge at the bust-to-waist area though. 

Despite those changes and the anxiety of doing so much contrast topstitching, this was a fairly easy and enjoyable project to work on. Glad to have it off the UFO pile & into the closet!