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Category: knitfix

A Painted Perry

November 14, 2016 / / 1 Comment

When I made my camouflage Seamwork Perry, I liked it so much that I immediately cut out another one from a cotton Spandex knit from a previous Girl Charlee* knitfix fabric.

I couldn’t do pattern matching when cutting the dress out, so I decided to just cut it out however I could then I used some Jacquard Textile Color* to paint colored stripes onto the fabric to try to mask the pattern mismatch.

I started painting the pieces way back in May.  I did some additional painting some time after that, but then I finally just finished it a couple days ago.  After it was all dried, I heat set it with the iron following the directions.

I cut bodice lining pieces from the same black cameo thermal knit fabric I used to line my Fabricista sweater dress.

I liked the elastic loop and button I used for the camo Perry, so I decided to do that again.  Since I planned this before sewing the dress together, I basted a loop of elastic that I’d colored with a blue Sharpie to the back bodice piece before sewing the shell and lining together at the neckline so that the raw ends are enclosed.  Then sewed on a blue button the finish the closure.

Also I couldn’t find a couple pieces – the front pocket piece and the sleeve cuffs.  I swear I cut them out, but it’s been so long and they aren’t with the other pieces, so either I’m remembering wrong or they got lost.  So, I cut the missing pocket piece from that same black cameo knit and instead of replacing the sleeve cuff with a different fabric, I just hemmed the sleeve 1″ to create a channel then cut pieces of 1/2″ elastic and fed it through the channel.

I also sewed all of the vertical seams with 5/8″ seam allowance instead of 3/8″ to try to size the dress down a bit.

I’m not super happy with the fit of the waist elastic.  I followed the instructions and cut the elastic to my waist measurement minus 2″.  But I must have stretched it out while installing it, because the waist doesn’t have as much definition as my camo one.

There are a few spots where I missed fully applying the color.  When I started with the blue, I was trying to go for a hand painted look, so the missed spots were a feature.  But now that it’s all put together, those spots are a little distracting to me.  Also, some of the coloring between the pieces don’t quite match shades, or the color lines across the seams aren’t exact.  So I may end up doing another pass of the painting.  Although, I am pretty happy with how it looks as is.

*affiliate link – I gotta try to help support my sewing habit somehow.

That 70s dress

March 31, 2016 / / 0 Comments

I’m not sure why I haven’t posted about this dress sooner.  I cut it out MONTHS ago and it sat there in its gallon Ziploc on my sewing table until February when I sewed it up for The Monthly Stitch‘s UFO challenge.  But I didn’t get the photos done in a timely manner and I missed February by a week and didn’t want my first post there to already be late.

So now here I am finally posting about this dress.

 This is the SisBoom Meghan Peasant Dress made out of a cotton jersey blend knit from a past knitfix.

The fabric definitely screamed “70s!” at me.  So I thought this pattern would be good, especially with the bell sleeves.  I actually ended up chopping several inches off the length because when I tried it on before I hemmed it, I thought it would look the part better as a mini.

It came together pretty fast.  I’m not sure why I took so long to sew it up.  Probably because it called for bias tape for the sleeve gathers and that sounded like work.  But it was super simple.

I have yet to wear this dress in public.  I imagine I eventually will.  I’ll probably pack it with me on our trip to Disneyland this next week with some shorts to wear under it, of course.

McCall’s 6801

March 6, 2016 / / 1 Comment

Several months ago, I started making view C of McCall’s 6801 from a cotton lycra fabric that I got in my knitfix bag in July.  I got to a step that needed to add seam binding to the side seams and didn’t have any, so it got added to the UFO pile for a while.  The February Monthly Stitch UFO challenge made me fish it out and finish it.

I made the size according to my measurements and sewed it up exactly according to the instructions.  But the dress ended up being way too big.  So I took it in quite a bit on the side seams and I ended up just cutting off the seam binding anyway.  I think the gathers on the side would be held in place much better using the seam binding, but I don’t mind the way it is now.

The back neckline gapes some. But it could just be stretched out from trying it on so much.  I steamed it a bit and it seemed to shrink up, but I took it off and put it back on a couple of times since then, so it may have stretched back out again.  It’s hard to tell.

The lining was cut from a firm nylon Spandex blend fabric and I took it in slightly more until it was smaller than the outer dress and could help smooth things out so the dress could skim over my lovely lady lumps.  I think it worked out pretty well.

I am quite pleased with this dress and my husband likes it too.  I plan to try it again in a smaller size in the future before making any pattern alterations.

Lady Skater in a Pink and Purple Ethnic Ponte de Roma

February 16, 2016 / / 0 Comments

I have made many Kitschy Coo Lady Skaters and this is the latest.  I cut this out several weeks ago and finally got around to sewing it up last Friday.

I love this pattern so much.  To call it TNT would be a huge understatement.  It’s my Go To dress, especially if I only have 2 yards of a fabric.

I had heard that making it in Ponte de Roma makes a very nice draping version and I’m quite pleased with how this one turned out.  I have a couple more ponte fabrics that are destined to be new Lady Skaters.

After I made my first version, I shortened the bodice by an inch and made the shoulders a bit more narrow, but those are the only alterations I did to the pattern that I have used over and over.  Oh, except adding pockets, of course.  I use the pocket piece from my Colette Moneta to make in-seam pockets and place them 4 inches down from the top of the skirt piece.

This dress is a fast make and I can practically do it with my eyes closed by now.  But I love how the fit and flare style looks on my body, so I’m always happy to have another to add to my wardrobe.

P4P Summer Kimono with Elephants!

February 14, 2016 / / 0 Comments

Last Summer I bought a bunch of Patterns For Pirates patterns including the (at that time) brand new Summer Kimono.  Fast forward 8 months later and I’ve finally made my first wearable item from that group of patterns.

I made the straight hem length, but I copied the curve of the curved hem version to the longer length.  I’m so glad I did, because that shorter length wouldn’t have been good on me, I don’t think.  And I really love how flattering the curved hem is.  I’m thinking the next one I make might be even a little longer.

The pattern was simple to make and it’s just so lovely.  I foresee a few more of these in my future.

The fabric was from my January Knitfix from Girl Charlee.  It was listed as Blue Elephant Ethnic Rows Jersey Rayon Spandex Knit.  It has a beautiful drape and I love the color.

Adventures in dyeing

July 26, 2015 / / 0 Comments

I’ve been purchasing a couple knitfix bags from Girl Charlee the last few months.  It’s fun to get random fabrics that I wouldn’t normally try.  I’ve gotten some fun stuff.

I’ve gotten a lot of white fabrics that I wouldn’t really wear, so I’ve been planning to do some dyeing for a while.  Here are some before photos.  Not the best, but you can get the idea.

White shells and seahorses on white cotton jersey knit

Black dots on white cotton spandex knit

White green daisy on white cotton jersey knit

Black vertical small stripe on white cotton jersey knit
Didn’t have a before of the bags I dyed, but it looked like this except the design was printed in red instead of purple.

I used a large cat litter bucket in the bath tub.  I filled it about half way up with hot water from the tap, one cup of salt and 6 Tbsp of violet Rit dye and 2 Tbsp of Navy Blue.  I dyed the white on white shells and seahorses in this dye bath along with one of the bags from June.

After I was done, i removed the fabric then added 2 Tbsp of fuchsia to the color already in the bucket and I put the green and white daisies in.

Then I dumped the dye out and mixed a new batch with 1 cup of salt, 6 Tbsp of Navy blue Rit and 2 Tbsp of fuchsia then added the polka dots and small stripes and another of the June bags.

And here they are all dried.

I’m very pleased with how they turned out.  I had been hoping the ones on the right would have come out darker.  I’m wondering if leaving them in the dye longer would have helped or if I just needed more dye.  I like the color and I think next time I’ll try the same ratio but with a higher concentration and see if that makes a difference.

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