More tights

I just made three more pairs of tights, using the pattern I made by tracing a commercially-made pair of sewn tights.

The peach and pale pink pairs are made from rib knit, and are slightly baggy, but will be fine for a layer of warmth and worn with additional socks and boots of various styles.

The gray...  Using the exact same pattern as the rib knit versions, the gray ended up being too short.  I have suspicions how that happened (knit fabrics are variable beyond my comprehension), but I'll mostly say it was disappointing, because the fit around the legs was perfect.

After some thought, I picked apart the center seams and sewed extensions on where the crotch should have been, then re-cut the top of the tights.  I also added more height to the top, because it's vital for my comfort that tights go all the way over my bulgy abdomen.  I had to piece that extended height, too, which was an actual benefit, because it allowed me to use up almost all of this fabric (left over from a previous project that left me unenthused.)  So, these tights have a whole bunch of weird seams, but they're up where no-one will ever see, and they didn't seem obtrusive when I tried them on, so it's fine.

Everything is stitched with a narrow zigzag, and finished with serging for extra security.  I still don't trust my serger to sew with two needles without breaking the left needle, but I don't have problems sewing knits on the lockstitch machine (as long as I use good thread.)

So!  Tights!  Sewn tights!

Quick note on a quick note

In March of this year, I took in the waistband of a skirt by 3". Well, I just let it out again by an inch and a half, because apparently I expanded a bit, and the altered waistband had become uncomfortably tight.  I got that inch and a half back by picking out the front darts (again, given how I'm shaped, this made sense.)  I possibly could have done some things to the side seam allowances, too, but that didn't seem entirely necessary.  Yet.

Also, there was a recent incident with a sharp fresh box cutter, and that left a sizable hole cut near the hem of this dress that I put together in 2020.  I have worn it a lot since, and didn't want to give it up over this, so I did some rough hand stitch mending.  I also discovered that its thrifted tiered skirt is wearing through in a lot of spots.  I'm not sure if I want to add patches all over it--the dress is worn so often because it is plain, solid black--or create a replacement skirt.  Ah, well, I have a little more time to consider my options now.

Big Floral Shirt

I thrifted Simplicity 8042, from 1992, several years ago, because it's just so ridiculous.

I very probably would have worn it in 1992--well, view 1 or 3.  View 2's collar is a bit too...Knock Off Laura Ashley Romantic to align with my tastes.

I got the pattern as a curiosity, never thinking I'd actually make it, in part because it requires a lot of fabric--over three yards of 60" for view 1.  And it needed to be soft, flowing fabric, too.

It turns out, though, that I just needed to take a new look at a piece of fabric that I thrifted in 2017.  It's a large floral print, a lightweight plain weave rayon, in purples and pinks and greens on an ivory ground, over 4 yards of 60" wide, that I had, for years, been looking at and thinking "This would make a lovely flowing dress but I would never wear such a thing, because the pale ground means that every bit of my underwear would show right through."  I never thought of getting rid of it, though, because the print was just so, to be cliché, me.

And then things clicked and I made it into view 1 of this shirt.

And it is, indeed, ridiculous.

Jumper Sparkle

 I decided to get into my fabric stash and make a coordinating jumper and shirt, and this is the jumper

It was made with Simplicity 9757, and, yeah.  It's pretty basic.

Unexpected Cats

So I saw a post on social media with a small plush cat, made with a vintage pattern, that turned out terrible.  This is not a slight against the crafter, since this was the whole point of their post, with the blame being put on the pattern.

I followed the link to the pattern, and thought, "Oh!  I think I see the problem!  You used polyester fleece, while the pattern, being from the 40s or 50s and illustrated the way that it is, would have been intended for calico!  It would probably look very different with a firm, stable fabric."

...then, after a few minutes, I decided to print the pattern and try it myself.

I can now definitely say: the pattern very much deserved that blame.

This is what it promised

 

 and this is what it delivered

Yeah.

I do agree with many people, in the discussion of these results, that the original intent would have been to fill this with sawdust, which would behave very differently from modern polyester fiber fill.  But.  I feel like a pattern would need a lot more seams and darts to approach being as round as the illustration.

Still, I saw a few potential areas to tweak that could help the shape, so I tried them and got this

Which is better!

Another Rayon Peasant Dress

I made a peasant dress from rayon (from the generous friend's relative's destash) in March, and have worn it a lot more than I expected, even discovering that it layers nicely over a turtleneck in winter.  So, when the last visit to the craft thrift store turned up three yards of 56" wide rayon, I got it with the express intention of making another peasant dress.

This style of dress gets all of its shaping from elastic, is extremely comfortable to wear, and looks terrible on the hanger.

Quick Pride Pillow

 Made this fast for a friend

It was as straightforward as it looks!  Colors and sizes were limited by what was in my stash.  I'm happy that there's a variety of textures (fuzzy flanelette and rough chambray, along with a plain weave poly-cotton blend)

I did take the time to hand-sew the turning opening closed

And that was a nice, fast little project.

Mulberry Bouclé

After finishing the oversize bomber for a friend, I really wanted to make an oversize bomber for me.  Yes, I have made many bomber jackets for me over the years, but they have been considerably less generous in width and, especially, length.  I wanted this to be big.

I didn't feel like doing patchwork for this, though.  My last visit to the craft thrift store had turned up some dark pink toned wool bouclé, which the previous owner had cut sleeves from, then folded the sleeves and everything back up and did no more with.  I figured I'd make a blazer from it...until I decided I wanted to make a big bomber.  I knew the existing cut sleeve wouldn't be wide enough, but I figured I could use part of it, and add a seam to make a mock two-part sleeve.

There was the big question of which knit to use for the bands.  I have a lot of a pale salmon-y pink (also from the craft thrift store) that does coordinate, but I didn't like the idea of having lighter bands with the dark shell.  On a whim, I dug out what was left of the chintz print knit (used for a dress, a shirt, and in the patchwork cardigan) and tried to judge if it would coordinate well with the wool.  (Yes, that knit fabric is also from the craft thrift store.)  I decided that it didn't matter if it coordinated well--I just liked the idea of using it.

And then, for lining, I decided to coordinate with the floral print, and use the light blue charmeuse I picked up at the craft thrift store the same day I got the wool.

It is, perhaps, a bit more luxurious than I planned.  That's always nice.

Corduroy Duffel

The Child, I realized, did not have a proper coat.

I have had Simplicity 8312, from 1987, for a very long time, never used

It's size small, and The Child is very thin, so I cut the pattern tissue after having this pattern easily 20 years.  And then I decided to finally use the three yards of alternating thick/thin wale corduroy of unknown vintage (from the friend's relative's destash, many thanks again.)  The pattern called for 3¼ yards of fabric for view 1, but I was confident I could make it work.

And I did!

No, listen: the goal was to make something as warm and comfortable as wearing a blanket.  That goal was achieved.

Animal Crossed Patchwork Bomber

I have recently started playing Animal Crossing Wild World for the first time, and I have read enough to know that I'll need to interact with someone else who has the game to be able to get the final version of the Nook store.  I have a local friend who had been thinking of starting Wild World for the first time, too, and we'll help each other with that store interaction.  

To thank the friend, I made this

 

 which contains a smattering of licensed Animal Crossing fabric