Apple Print Patchwork Bag

So. I had gotten to the point where most of the remaining apple print was in the form of unavoidable odd scraps left from all of the other things I'd made.

What do you I do with odd scraps? ...well, normally, my answer is "squirrel them away for later," but my small piece knit fabric drawer was very very full, so I decided to grab other pinks and greens from there and make something from patchwork.

Now, while I do very much like the patchwork cardigan I made from knit fabrics last year, I felt like the fact that I have already made a cardigan (two, if you count the not-so-successful first attempt), a motorcycle jacket, and a vest from the apple print meant I had plenty of apple print options for the upper body, and the two skirts were literally good coverage for the lower, so it wasn't time for another patchwork skirt.

I eventually remembered the Very 1990s bag pattern I'd gotten from the craft thrift store, McCall's 8705

 

The messenger bag in view C was the whole reason I'd picked this pattern--yes, I can and have figured out how to make messenger bags without anything but my own imagination, but sometimes it's nice not to have to think so much.

Especially when I was going to add the over-complication of patchwork to the project. 

And that's when I discovered that whoever had owned this pattern before had not put the pieces for view A back in the envelope, nor had they returned the first page of the instructions, which is where the yardage requirements are (the back of the envelope has full color photos of the bags in different fabrics than the front views.) (There were also pieces from a completely different bag pattern in there.)  The missing yardage requirements (or anything relating to view A) weren't a problem for this project, because the whole thing about making patchwork specifically to make other things is that you only need to assemble as much as you need to cover the pattern pieces.

I did later find a listing for the pattern with a picture of the yardage requirements, and noted them for the messenger bag, which is, honestly, the only one of these I'll probably ever make.  Beyond the added labor of the patchwork (and issues caused by the bulk of medium weight knit patchwork), this was a fairly easy thing to make.

 

Apple Hat

I am nearing the end of the apple fabric, but not there yet.  The remaining pieces are not large enough to cut parts for clothing--well, not for human-size clothing, I did make a(n as yet unphotographed) sweatshirt for a larger doll--but there are accessory possibilities.

So I made a beret.

There's nothing challenging to making this kind of beret: trace around the largest plate we have, cut two layers, cut the center from one side using a lid from a cardboard oatmeal canister, repeat for the lining, figure out how long to cut a strip to be the band, sew them all together. 

There was enough of the NYC stretch silk left to make the lining, and I was even able to place the doorman in the most unsettling prominent spot.

It's actually a bit smaller in diameter than I like, but I was limited by the remaining contiguous fabric.  I considered making a newsboy hat, but I'm not always happy with how the pattern I have turns out, and that would have been a lot more work for potential disappointment, so a beret it is.

And, so, I get marginally closer to using up all of the apple print.

Apple Skirt! A Different One!

The last large area of the apple print was just long enough to let me cut an only slightly-shortened view E of New Look 6843.

 

 (It's 17½" instead of the 18" the envelope says.)

Apple Vest

I am genuinely getting close to the last of the apple print...but I'm not there yet.

I thought it would be fun to make a vest from the apple print, and I'm still happy to make New Look 6514 from something besides patchwork (although I definitely will make it from patchwork sometime again, especially now that I have the die cutter.)  As much as I like making patchwork, it does, y'know, add significant time to a project; without the additional labor of patchwork, this is a quick project.

 

 It is at this point that I acknowledge that there are probably significant clowncore aspects to this print, and to using it for so many things.  I can live with that.

Apple Skirt!

I mentioned that I got five yards of the apple fabric, right?  And that was after originally getting two, which went into the disappointing cardigan and a shirt for a friend.  I knew I wanted to use the second cut of it to make a better cardigan, and then I impulsively made the motorcycle jacket (which I have worn several times already, since the weather has been actually properly spring-like.)

That still left a few yards of it, though.  After confirming that The Child didn't want anything made from it (it's the wrong kind of tacky for the kid's tastes), I decided to make the most indulgent--yet simple (in theory)--thing: a circle skirt.

I have probably mentioned before how much I like voluminous skirts made from knit fabrics, but don't make them often because there are so many things that can only be made from knits.  A skirt? Can be made from anything.  A slim fit T-shirt?  That's a job for knits.

However.  I've probably also mentioned that I try not to wear polyester blends in direct contact with my underarms, because of smell issues.  It's not me, it's the polyester.  So, no matter how much I might think a little T-shirt made from the apple print would be adorable, it's not something I would ever wear...and, even if I do break down and make one, it's not going to take much fabric, either.  As mentioned, I had a lot of this fabric.

So, hey! Why not a circle skirt!

I grabbed Simplicity 7210 from the craft thrift store a while ago (that post is mildly amusing because, after sincere reflection on my sewing tastes, I have re-donated some of those patterns back to the craft thrift store) simply so I wouldn't have to recalculate a circle every time I wanted to make a circle skirt.  It's fine that it's a kid size pattern, because I can bring the waist in from another pattern; I used McCall's 7981 this time, along with that pattern's pockets.

...which led to an issue, but I'll get into that under the cut.   Right now: here's the skirt

 Usual disclaimer about all round-hemmed skirts: it really is even, I promise.

Big Apple Jacket

While I was making the rainbow shiny on purple motorcycle jacket, I was thinking of my next project, which was going to be the second version of the apple cardigan, and my brain said, "Well, what about making the Know Me ME2011 motorcycle jacket from the apple knit?"

So I did.

It turned out just as wonderfully obnoxious as I imagined.

Apple Cardigan The Second

 Apple Cardigan The First happened about two months ago.  It was...not what I wanted.  But!  It held the promise of what I wanted, and the fabric not only still being in stock at Fabric Mart, but also dropped in price, prompted me to order more and try again.

This time, I would make it a size larger.  This time, I would use contrast rib knit for the bands.  And then!  When I had everything laid out, ready to start cutting the fabric, I received a package from a friend with some surprise vintage buttons in it, and one set was perfect for this fabric...if the rest of the project lived up to my expectations.

It did!

Apple/Blossom Sweatshirt

When I was planning to make the loud hoodie and the dissonant cardigan, I showed pictures of the fabric to a friend, who agreed that both of the prints were fantastic.  So!  I decided to see if I could get what I had left of both of them (well, what was left of the apple print from the first order) into a single ridiculous sweatshirt for this friend.

 

 Task achieved.

Apple Cardigan The First

Gonna start right off with saying I'm not super thrilled with this, but that's fine.

I used Simplicity 8951 to make another cardigan

I should have gone up a size, and I should have used contrast ribbing for the bands.  It's fine.

Everything else about it is great!