The Quick & The Vest

I have the fabric and pattern picked out for this year's Halloween Patchwork Project, but I don't quite have the drive to start working on it yet, so I decided I'd do something fast and easy yesterday.

I was initially going to use the purple sequin fabric to make a cardigan, but I didn't like any of the rib knits I had in combination with it.  By the time I admitted the cardigan wasn't going to happen, I was committed to using some of the odd areas of the purple sequin, and settled on a vest.  I got a lovely reddish purple lining fabric last time I visited the craft thrift store, but I was already starting to feel ambivalent about this project and didn't want to use part of a larger piece.  I poked around my lining fabric stash and found a small amount of thrifted dark wine...acetate?  It did have a bit of that distinct acetate smell (along with a lingering hint of cigarette.)  I had thought of using it for a vest years ago that never got made, so it seemed right to use it for this vest that was going to get made, whether I wanted it or not.

A Few More Stitches

 As always, I made something to thank the Friend Who Drives To The Faraway Places.  This time, it was also an excuse to do an experiment I'd been thinking about for a while.

A year ago, I had the idea to make a doll jacket with what was essentially quilted clear vinyl on top of a layer of cotton broadcloth, with sequins trapped between the stitches. It looked cool, but I hadn't drawn out the sewing lines so they were kinda...haphazard.  But it still looked neat!

Unfortunately, the sequins made it impossible to turn the sleeves right-side-out, and the attempt to do so caused the sequins to damage the thin vinyl, so I had to sigh and let this project go.

But the basic idea stayed with me, and yesterday I made a zip pouch with the same approach (but heavier vinyl) on one side

This time, I measured and drew lines on the cotton--although, as part of the overall experiment going on here, I used the roller presser foot for the first time, and...let's just say I need a little more practice finding the center of that thing. But!  The stitching is mostly where it should be.

I stitched the vertical center line first--and of course I used a leather needle--then the horizontal center line.  I placed sequins around the stitching intersection, then stitched on the next sets of lines out from the center. I placed sequins in the four horizontal cells, then stitched the vertical lines outside those. This left the cells around the outside, which I filled with sequins then stitched closed at the ¼" seam lines I'd marked when doing the initial measuring and marking.  That's as much sense as my explanation is  going to make.

I chose a dark blue thin vinyl for the back, a yellow zipper, and glowworm green lining, and assembled them in my usual lined zip pouch way.

The only thing different from normal was that I had the ¼"-from-the-edge existing stitch lines to guide where to sew when attaching things to the front.

This was silly fun.  I'm not sure if I'll try it again, but that's mostly because I can't, at the moment, think of anything else to make from trapped sequins like this. But, the technique is unlocked.

Not Quite as Simple Sequins

Kwik Sew 3764 is a fairly easy pattern--not as easy as the previous shirt pattern, but still easy, even with the changes I made, like complicating the back and adding a lining and, of course, using a knit fabric covered with sequins

Simple Sequins

 It's past my bedtime but the neighborhood is already exploding with New Year's Eve fireworks (there's nearly an hour left until midnight) so I might as well make this post now, huh

Behold, the first thing made from the as-is sequins: a super simple mock turtleneck...that I still managed to miscalculate

Not enough of a miscalculation to regret, though!

Orders

There were sewing-related things I'd been thinking about ordering for months, but kept putting them off.

Sparkle, Not Sewn

 I spent a nice day sorting out my sequins and spangles

And then spent a while the next day hammering more holes into some of them as needed (I have a 1mm hole punch, which creates a slightly more elegant opening than just shoving a heavy needle through the plastic) then hooking those together with jump rings (which was not as much fun as it was to sort them out)

I still have plenty more to work with when the urge strikes.

Ooh shiny ✨

I also messed around with letter beads

Over The Hill is the one I actively like, Skeptic is OK, the rest went back onto the bead box (I already have a Memento Mori bracelet I like more.)  Sorting through my beads for these did finally prompt me to cull the beads I just don't like, so I guess I'm starting another pile of things to donate to the creative re-use thrift store.