MADE: Cassette Tape Flannel Men's Shirt

The beginnings of a shirt for Mr. So...

After making a scoodie for my husband with lining in a flannel covered with cassette tapes, I jokingly asked if he'd wear a button-up shirt with the same print. Surprisingly, he said yes. So off I went back to Joann to find this flannel... to my dismay it was no longer available. However, the nearest Joann is only 1 mile away so I stop there frequently just to browse and get other needed items. One day, I was walking through the aisles, and what do I find... the exact print again! It was no longer on sale for $2.79/yd at which I bought it for the scoodie; however, I still had a coupon was able to get it for $3.50/yd and so it began...

This particular version is his wearable muslin. He actually wore it to work the day after I finished sewing on the buttons for "Dress Like a Celebrity Day" (he's a teacher)... he was dressing like Russell Westbrook who apparently wears some crazy shirts and thick lens-less glasses.  (We are OKC Thunder fans and went to Texas hence the Longhorn in the picture!) Haha... it still had yellow pencil markings for the buttonholes and buttons but I'm sure no one will even notice with the loud print. What do you think... did he dress like Russell Westbrook?

On to the project details:

Pattern:  Kwik Sew 2777 (no longer on the website)

Size:  Medium (default 15 1/2" collar)

Fabric: 100% Cassette Tape cotton flannel from Joann

Cost:  $11.79 (pattern) + $10.50 (fabric 3 yd @ $3.50/yd)

What I Love:  That the pattern has a collar stand and the fabric is so much fun!

Notes:

• Decreased sleeve length by 2"
• All raw seams are enclosed except for sleeves and side seams
• Sew carefully and make sure collar stand and cuffs incase all seams... my collar stand is a little off... which I need to go back and fix.

Future versions: 

• Adjust collar size to be 16"
• Flat fell side seams and sleeves (need to make seam allowance 5/8" instead of 1/4")
• Research placket insertion techniques
• If making a slim fit version, will need to add darts or some sort of shaping
• Label the under collar so it doesn't get attached upside down
• Try convertible cuffs
• Reference Shirtmaking by David Page Coffin

Overall:

Instructions are pretty easy to follow along... just need to pay attention on the yoke attachment because the first few times I read it I was like "Wha???". Also, I noticed that the collar corners were flipping up and didn't know why. Miss Lulu, who is also mentioned on Susan's blog, noticed amongst the busy print that my undercollar was stitch as the top so note to self to label the under collar! This will be my go-to button-up (button-down?) shirt pattern for him.  I have fabric that has been in my stash that was bought with the intention of making him shirts, and I'm finally getting around to it.  Making these types of shirts take time and precision sewing so not sure when I'll get around to the next one. :P  Sorry, hon!

MADE: Candice House Slippers

Pattern:  Candice Slippers by iThinkSew
Fabric:  blizzard fleece leftovers for exterior and cotton flannel leftovers for interior; both from Joann
Size:  8
Cost:  $3.90 (pattern on sale) + $0.00 (scraps of fabric)
What I Love: Simple, easy pattern that does not require much fabric
Notes:

• Made without adding seam allowances so sizing was not correct. Read the pattern and instructions because it clearly says it needs to be added... I just didn't read. 
• Interfaced the lining, but not on the exterior and instead added another layer of fleece. It could use more stiffness and maybe more cushion as well.
• Used fabric paint on the bottom for anti-skid properties as well as marking right and left.

I have small feet (usually wear 6.5) and these barely fit me lengthwise... I need to be careful and read the pattern and instructions before proceeding.  I was just WAY TOO overconfident and this is where it got me. :(  Many people request for slippers when they come over to our house, and I'm not sure why... Could it be because we keep it at 62 in the winter?  Hehe... well there will be more of these in the future and hopefully they will be the correct sizes.

Tops:

Bottoms:

Please ignore the unfinished areas... :)

MADE: Scoodies Galore

Long ago one of my brothers asked me if I could knit him a scarf, and then some time later he requested that this scarf have a hood.  I want to say this happened many many years ago. Well finally for this past Christmas, I made him this scarf with a hood known as a scoodie, except it wasn't knitted... I didn't get to take a picture of his particular scoodie, but here's one of out of the 6 that were made.

Pattern: Scoodie (free pattern found here)
Fabric: Exterior - blizzard fleece (1.25 yds) from Joann; Interior - cotton flannel (1.5 yds) from Joann
Costs: $0.00 (free pattern) + ~$9.80(fleece $4.49/yd and flannel $2.79/yd or $3.99/yd)
What I Love: Super easy to make with 4 pattern pieces
Notes:

• The middle piece of the hood did not match up with the sides of the hood at the notches. I just cut the middle and added 3/4". 
• Added pockets to the ends of the scarf, which are just 8"x 10" rectangles in fleece. About an 1.25" of the top was folded over and then topstitched prior to attaching the the scarf.
• Used 1/2" seam allowances instead of 5/8" for no particular reason except that I had blue painters tape marked for 1/2".

Overall:  This was a fun gift giving pattern.  I made these for our siblings plus one for myself and husband for a total of 6!  The long straight stitching on the scarf portion was a little boring especially after doing them so many times, but other than that it's easy peasy and the recipients loved them!  I may even make 2 more for friends that saw ours and loved them, too.

Mr. So and I are sporting ours inside our house... I think we may have worn them a total of 2 times since they were finished... maybe we need to go to Chicago to get more wear out of them. :)  There's also not a good way to wear the scarf.  If you try to wrap both of them around the neck the pockets are super close to your face.  I ended up just throwing one end to the back and keeping one end in the front. RTW scoodies have a detachable hood that can be placed at different intervals to help with this, but I didn't want to do the extra work.

Coming up with the different fleece and flannel combinations for the different scoodies was pretty fun.  There are only 5 swatch combinations because one of them (black and white plaid flannel) was made twice. :)

In the end, my brother didn't even remember requesting this scarf, but nonetheless he was the inspiration behind making these!  :)

MADE: Scout Woven Tee

One of my fellow sewists at a local meetup is in love with this pattern (actually several of the sewists from the meetup have made this top and love it!) and so I decided to give it a try as well. It is a loose dartless woven top, which is not typically my first choice because I tend to lean towards more fitted clothes. I was a bit skeptical about it so I decided to use fabric I got at a fabric swap.

Uploaded this to flickr using the flickr app with the mammoth filter.

Pattern: Scout Woven Tee by Grainline Studio

Size:  12

Fabric: floral print cotton lawn/voile from a fabric SWAP

Cost: $6.50 = $6.50 (pattern) + $0.00 (fabric)

What I LoVE:  Simple, easy pattern.

Notes:  Added tiny pointed pocket, which was traced from my Target Boyfriend Tee.

Overall:

I don't think that this is the most flattering top on me, and I'm not sure I made the best fabric choice.  However that being said, I wear this shirt A LOT... it's super comfortable.  It's been a few months since I finished this project and it's definitely grown on me.  (Thanks, Susan! :))  Overall,  I may make a few tweaks and try it again.

Potential modifications for next time:

• Take it in a smidge in the back
• Needs small FBA
• Use drapier fabric

MADE: Burda 05-2012-113 Starburst Skirt

I've had a subscription to Burda for a couple of years now, but haven't used them much.  Recently, I'm making a conscience effort to use these magazines, and have traced several patterns.  This post has been sitting in my drafts for a few months now and was completed in 2012.  I need to be better about posting in a more timely manner.  I have a few more catch-up posts as well after this one... sigh... one of these days. :D

Taking pictures by myself is so awkward for me... I don't look happy at all. :P

Pattern: Burda 05-2012-113 Starburst Skirt view C (can be downloaded here, too)
Size: 42
Fabric: 1.5 yd remnant of floral watercolor knit from The Common Thread
What I Love:  ONE pattern piece!
Notes:

• Added 1" seam allowances to adjust for fit... since I haven't made very many Burda patterns and I'm all over the size chart, I decided trace the middle size and add large seam allowances.  I also measured the pattern piece to see if I was even close, and I was.  In the end, I didn't need the 1" seam allowances.
• Fabric choice is important on this one... need something not too thick but not too thin with nice stretch and good recovery. There are no closures or zippers on this skirt so the waist needs to be able to go over the hips.
• Cut slightly off grain due to fabric limitations
• Hand basted the pleats prior to sewing
• Weirdly graded pleats once sewn together to reduce bulk
• Cut the length for view C, but then cut off extra 2" in length (probably more like view A)
• Took in waist about 1"
• Didn't look at directions... just trace, mark and cut fabric, pleat, hand baste pleats, serge facing bottom edge, sew side seams, grade pleats, serge side seams, fold over facing and attach at side seams, flip facing, and hem
• Fabric is a little bit on the thin side and the waist is very flimsy... need to add something to stabilize... maybe elastic?
• Fabric was easy to sew, but was very "sticky".

Overall:  Easy, cute skirt and probably would not make again. I would recommend this to others... just beware of the bulk at the pleats.

MADE: Red Sweet Scallop Shorts

I first saw these made by Dixie DIY at my local sewing meetup, and I just fell in L-o-V-E with them.  It was right in the middle of the Texas summer and I NEEDED some shorts.  What's not to love about them... they're shorts (not too short or too long) with pockets and a scalloped front hem and are fairly easy to make!



Pattern:  PatternRunway Sweet Scallop Shorts
Size:  large
Fabric:  Sew Classic Bottomweight Stretch Poplin in Red from Joann
Cost:  approx. $13.50 = $9.50 (pattern) + ~$4.00 (fabric & interfacing)
<3:  again... love the DeSiGN! I also love the lining fabric, which was from my scrap box, I used for the pockets.
Notes:

• The instructions for the welt pockets are super confusing. I had a very difficult time following them and just kept re-reading and re-doing it and it eventually worked.  Other than that, the rest of the shorts went together very easily.
• The waistband is a little too big. I realized that I need to take it in at least an inch.  I'm wondering if this is due to my fabric having some stretch... but it is interfaced?
• I also realized that in general I don't like side zip shorts (or pants, but more on this in a different post), but these will still get a lot of wear.

Overall:  Easy, cute pattern that I might have to make again in the future to wear for the fall/winter especially after seeing paunnet's version.  I would recommend it to others... just need to find a different welt pocket tutorial.  Maybe this one?

NOTE: the everything tote

one of these days...
everything tote from Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross

:: hi ::

:: hi ::

I love to make things... dabbling in cooking, knitting, scrapbooking, photography, sewing... just to name a few. ;)

I also like to sketch ideas and jot notes all over the place... in journals, sketchbooks, post-it's, and pretty much anything that is blank and I can get my hands on. Sometimes, it's really hard for me to remember where I sketched an idea or wrote that recipe.



I created this space so I can collect all those things in one place!  It doesn't mean I'll stop writing and drawing on paper, but that I'll have an electronic, searchable, shareable version. I look at it like studying for a class. You take notes in class and then afterward re-type them while making it more organizing and more visually appealing. :)

Thanks for joining me in my all over the place adventures!