Big News & A Wintry Archer

~ Emily ~ 2 Comments

Its been too long! We had a big life change over the past few months, we moved from our beloved Pittsburgh to the Big Apple. Its been quite a transition from going to a huge old house to a tiny (not actually tiny by NYC standards) apartment in Manhattan. It was very difficult to not be able to sew during this transition!!! One of my top priorities was setting up the sewing zone so I could get back at it. Before we moved, I did my best to donate non-necessary supplies, fabric, scraps and tools that I don’t use because I knew our space would be very limited. So, here is where we stand:

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I still have some organizing to do (and I do have shelves off-camera with wayyyy more supplies), but this setup is working pretty well so far. So, what was the first thing I made after setting up the space? An Archer! Haha.

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I’ve had this Rag and Bone “cotton” from Mood sitting in my stash for over a year, patiently waiting to be made into something. Cotton is in quotes because although this material was labeled as such, it feels much more like an airy-spun wool. I also picked out buttons at Mood to go with it. I tried very hard to take my time and I think it really paid off, I am so happy with this shirt!! I cut the back yoke and the front button band on the bias, and did my best to match the plaids everywhere else. I used organza for the interfacing, and it works so well. It very warm! I used some cotton from my first Archer for the under collar, inside collar stand, and inner yoke, and it helps offset the slight scratchiness of the fabric.

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Tiki Uniforms!

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I took on an exciting project last year to make uniforms for Hidden Harbor, a super awesome tiki bar in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh. A friend who works there hooked me up with this job– apparently they had been looking for fitted ladies’ shirts for a long time but kept coming up short with ways to make it happen. Over the past year or so, I’ve made several shirts and skirts for the ladies of Hidden Harbor, as well as shirts for the men.

The fabric is all custom printed Spoonflower basic cotton ultra, some available publicly, but some is custom-designed especially for Hidden Harbor.

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I made wrap skirts and short-sleeved shirts for the ladies, and short sleeve shirts for the men. Overall, it was a great learning experience, and I am so glad I did it!

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Their drinks, by the way, are absolutely delicious. Go try them!!!

Lois Dress

~ Emily ~ 4 Comments

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I whipped up the new Lois Dress from Tessuti. We have a couple of weddings coming up, and I wanted to make a new dress to wear to one of them. Overall, it was fun to sew, especially the neckline seam! I french seamed everything, except for the waistband. I zigged that seam as well as the dart seam allowance, as specified. I cut a 8-6-10, and was very nervous that the seams wouldn’t line up right with all that grading between sizes, but overall I am very happy with it. I had to extend the side darts A LOT, they stuck out exactly where my hips are widest and it looked really bad. So bad that I didn’t think I would ever wear it. But I stopped over to consult with my sewing teacher and she quickly pinned out the darts to extend several more inches down the side, and now its MUCH better. I also had to redo a little bit of the side zip to take in a little bit more of the dart.

One important note: the skirt pieces require 55″ wide fabric. I neglected to realize this until I had cut out the pattern and laid out all the pieces to cut out, and saw the front skirt was extending past the fabric. I slashed the pattern and brought in the a-line to accommodate my 43″ fabric. By the way, this is silk CDC from Mood that I got awhile back. I bought 2 yards, and it was JUST enough. I had barely any scraps left after I cut everything out.

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The neckline is very risqué, but I like it! I tried on several bras with it, but none of them are low enough to not show when wearing the dress. If I make this again, I will underline the front bodice to provide a little bit more… coverage?

Overall, I love it, especially the midi length. I wore it to dinner for our anniversary last night, and am planning to wear it to a wedding this weekend!!! Update: Here is a shot from the wedding:

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Rigel Bomber Jacket!

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I finally joined the Rigel Bomber Jacket club! I bought the supplies to make this in the fall, but other projects took priority, so this sat in my sewing room, cut out and ready to sew, for several months. The gray wool is from the Center For Creative Reuse, the Liberty lining is from The Fabric Store in LA, ribbing is from Mood, and the zipper is from Pacific Trimmings. Wowza!

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I followed Ginger Make’s tutorial to line the jacket, and it was overall pretty easy and definitely worth the effort. I got tripped up with sewing the little tabs at the bottom of the zipper, I ended up slip-stitching that part shut. I am super happy with this jacket, overall, and I can’t wait for it to get chilly so I can take it out for a spin. I am a little worried that its too plain, but I can jazz it up with some enamel pins and a scarf.

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Archer For a Friend.

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I made a sleeveless Archer a few years ago using Grainline’s awesome tutorial, and I wear it all the time, even though its a white-with-bright-stripes 90s-looking seersucker. My friend Chrissy saw me wearing it one day and commented on how much she loved it, so I decided to make her one for her birthday.

I had some leftover all-white seersucker, but it was barely enough to cut out the shirt. I had to get a little creative with the pattern piece placement: I cut the button band and pockets the wrong way. I didn’t even have enough left to cut the inside yoke, so I used some light micro-floral cotton. I also used it on the under-collar as a subtle way to introduce some color to an otherwise stark white shirt. It took me a long time to settle on a fabric that wouldn’t show through the seersucker too much. I really struggled with buttons, I spent forever comparing at the fabric store before settling on these taupey gray ones. This is the first time I used a teeny button for the collar stand, and I like how it turned out. I also recently got a buttonhole cutter and some fray check, and WOW they improve the finish to look much more professional!

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I am so happy with this shirt, especially because I look at it and see such great strides in craftsmanship since the last time I made one.

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A Baby blanket.

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Two of our close friends just had a baby, and a month before they were due, I decided I wanted to make them a baby blanket. I needed to do something simple, since it was so close to the due date, and they were not finding out the gender of the baby ahead of time. I went fabric.com surfing for some double gauze, and happened upon this ADORABLE Cotton + Steel print, called “Dog Lion.” I ordered 1.5 yards of it, 1.5 yards of plain C+S double gauze, and some cotton batting, and got to planning. I used this Purl Soho tutorial as a guide, but used the max width of the fabric, and as much length as I got out of the 1.5 yards. It ended up being a little over 40×50 as the pattern suggests. I did regular corners vs curved ones, and I quilted with some yellow sashiko thread I had waiting in the wings. After I had quilted two rows, I realized I had some yellow twill tape that matched PERFECTLY. It was truly a serendipitous project, and I am so happy with how it turned out. Also, the double gauze is SO SO SO SOFT, I loved quilting it on my lap.

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Since the parents didn’t reveal or know the gender, I went with a more generic tag, the couple’s last name is Haag. Overall, so happy with this quick, whimsical blanket! I hope the parents love it.

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Pittsburgh Fabric Stores Travel Guide

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My favorite thing to do when I go on trips is to find the best fabric stores in town and buy some souvenirs from my travels to add to my fabric stash. Here’s a list of my favorite Pittsburgh fabric stores (and other cool stuff nearby) for anyone who comes to visit and is looking for the Good Stuff.

Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse

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courtesy of Google Maps

This store is an elementary school teacher’s dream. It has every type of odds and ends you could ever dream up, organized perfectly. Think of it like the home section of the best Goodwill you can imagine. Their fabric section is in the back corner, and it can be hit or miss, but I have scored some major fabric finds there, as well as other sewing/knitting supplies (like a sleeve board that I use almost every day). It is priced like a Goodwill, too. They have a monthly craft night at Allegheny Wine Mixer which offers on-the-spot craft kits to purchase and make right there for a small fee.

Nearby to do: East End Food Co-op, for a snack and the best bulk-food section in the city, Construction Junction, saved-from-the-landfill building supplies and furniture, Free Ride, where you can build/maintain your own bike, Frick Park, lots of trails and beautiful scenery, and the Frick Art Museum, beautiful estate with free admission to their seasonal traveling art exhibitions.

 

Firecracker Fabrics/Cut and Sew Studio

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Courtesy of Google Maps

Indie-loving fabric and pattern shop with an attached sewing studio that offers a variety of classes.

Nearby to do: Tazza D’Oro Coffee, a cute neighborhood coffee shop with outdoor seating, Park Brugges, Belgian-inspired fare with an excellent draft list, Smiling Banana Leaf, tasty Thai food in an intimate setting (with outdoor seating), Bryant Street Market (fb link, sorry), neighborhood bodega with killer sandwiches, and Highland Park, a beautiful city park with a 1 mile running loop, swimming pool, trails, and a reservoir.

 

Loom Exquisite Textiles

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Courtesy of Google Maps

Very quirky collection of quilting cottons, as well as some apparel fabric, and lovely vintage trims.

Nearby to do: Strip District, a walkable stretch with lots of food shops and retail stores, do not miss Roxanne’s Dried Flowers, Penzey’s Spices, Penn Mac, Gaucho.

 

The Fabric Place

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Courtesy of Google Maps

If you are looking for special occasion fabric, or lycra of any type, this store is for you. They have an amazing supply of spandex due to their large figure-skating client base. They also have an enormous selection of buttons, and are happy to help you find the perfect match for your project. I bought my wedding dress fabric here, and they were extremely knowledgeable and helpful. This store is about a 25 minute drive from the city, but if you are looking for a cute neighborhood to walk around, and have any interest in lyrca, its worth the side trip.

Nearby to do: Mt. Lebanon shops and adorable houses to ogle off the main street, Uptown Coffee, Hitchiker Brewing.

Summer of Basics #2 and #3.

~ Emily ~ 1 Comment

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Continuing on with my second item for #SummerofBasics, I made a self-drafted linen gauze tank, heavily inspired by Karen Templer’s version. I made a patch pocket pattern piece and fully intended to use it, but I forgot to sew them on before joining the front + back, and decided to wait until the top came together to see if it felt right to add them. I think the side slits are too “extreme” to logically accommodate pockets, so I left them off.

I traced a woven tank top I liked to create this pattern. I made a quick muslin to make sure I traced accurately, and then I cut into the little bit of linen gauze I had left from my Tessuti visit last year. This material is pretty sheer, but when its 90 degrees outside with almost 100% humidity, such concerns retreat away through the heavy haze of summer.

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I cut the back along the selvedge in two pieces so I could remember how pretty it is, with its chambray-esque blue and a stripe of green. I used white single-fold bias tape for the neckline and armholes, and french seamed the shoulder and side seams. I made a mistake and double-folded the side slits to the right side (instead of the wrong side) of the garment, but I actually like it as a design feature, so I left it as-is.

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For my #SummerofBasics Number Three, I made a Moss skirt from more of that leftover Essex linen I had in my stash. I thought red would be an unusual color for a skirt, but it turns out that I love it and it doesn’t look unusual at all! I am not sure the essex linen is the best fabric for garments, as it unravels very quickly, but I bound all the seams with bias tape, so hopefully that helps with the skirt’s longevity. I had some berry colored piping and added it to the pockets and I think it adds SO much to the look of the skirt. I used the teeny bit of striped Italian shirting I had left for the waistband and pockets, and I LOVE it so much. Overall, really happy with how this turned out. I do notice that when I wear it, I have to constantly pull at it to make it sit correctly on my hips. I think I made the right size, but I am not sure why this is happening. I might get some true bottom-weight fabric and give it another shot.

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Summer of Basics #1: Maritime Shorts

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I’ve decided to enter the Summer of Basics make-along as a challenge for myself to pepper in practical, plain items along with all the garments with wild prints I am drawn to. Here is my first make, Maritime shorts from Grainline in Essex Linen. I made these once before a few years ago, and have been meaning to make more ever since. I remember being very challenged by the fly, but this time I really focused (turned off those podcasts!) and powered through successfully. I did use a 5″ zipper, because thats what I had, and it turned out fine. I also used a front button instead of a pants hook/eye closure.

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I really love these, especially the tushie pockets! I wore them all weekend, and they are very comfy. I was surprised by how little fabric they take, as well as how quickly I sewed it… I did the whole thing in 1.5 sittings. The trickiest part was the waistband… you have to reallly pay attention to the grain of the fabric and the way each piece is flipped, especially if your fabric has no RS or WS like this linen. One note, I sewed my button hole the wrong way! GAHH!

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An Eyelet Ruby Dress

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I made my 3rd Ruby dress from Tessuti. I LOVE this pattern so much. It is so fast to make and is easy to wear. I had been dreaming this up for a few months, but just didn’t have time to make it until now.

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I bought the eyelet from Mood fabrics last year, and when I was checking out, the eyelet bolt happened to lay on top of someone else’s bright mauve (what? just trust me it was a bright mauve) fabric and I loved the pop of color, but regrettably I did not buy it. The idea of eyelet with a bright pop color underneath stuck with me, though.

I ended up using some almost-neon-yellow super soft voile from Firecracker Fabrics and used that to underline this dress. I took a lot of inspiration from the Ruby hack that Tessuti posted awhile ago, especially the back, but instead of binding the armholes, I made a front and back facing using this tutorial. I liked the look of the binding so I kept it for the neckline. I bound the seams (except the center back..) with bias tape, which really helped to neaten the inside of the garment. I had aspirations of hiding the back bodice within the facing, but it would have stuck out of the dress, so I hand-stitched the bodice lining to the center back instead. I had the crochet-covered button in my stash and I think it fits the look of the dress perfectly.

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