She Knits, She Sews, She Gardens, She Grows
I finished sewing my Tropicana blouse! This was a fun sew, and it’s really comfortable to wear. The buttons are vintage, but I can’t remember where I got them. Fabric is quilting cotton by Free Spirit. Pattern is Tropicana Shirt by Wardrobe by Me. Earrings by Mackenzie, our oldest.
I will definitely sew another one! Probably in an equally obnoxious print.
Updated to add: It looks great with my Hitofude Cardigan!
I needed a quick win, so I cast on the Sophie Scarf in green Fibra Natura yarn. I am ready for ShamROCK! Which is a small local festival.
I don’t love this yarn. I purchased it at our new local yarn shop. They are just starting out and I want to support them, but they are still building up their stock. If you don’t support it, it goes away! Sometimes it goes away anyway, but I try to do my bit to support small business.
I do love this pattern, though. I’m sure I will knit another or two or three the next time I need a quick win.
This month I sewed a new pair of flannel trousers and a dress from a duvet cover.
I continued weaving my dish towels, and ordered a new pattern and kit for my next rigid heddle project.
I knit and I ripped and I knit some more on my Wearing Cardigan, Canadiana Socks for Bob, and my Working Shawl. I finally finished one sock.
I cast on a green Sophie Scarf because I want to celebrate shamrocks and snakes and banshees in March. I am running out of time though.
One of the things I want to start doing is saving my fabric scraps for a rag rug. I’ve never made one before, but I’m looking at tutorials to figure out what might work best for me. I am not a quilter, so I have a mix of apparel fibers and fabrics. They are all natural though. I did find this braided rug tutorial on YouTube where she mixes woven and stretchy fabrics in the braid, so that might work for me.
Have you ever made a scrap rug?
This has been a Year of Projects (YOP) Update. The group is in its 14th year, but I have only been doing it for a few years. This is a Ravelry based group. You can learn more here.
I believe you can get me through the ni-hight!
Gary Wright’s Dream Weaver is one of my earliest musical memories. I remember laying in the back seat of the car (before seat belts were required) and listening with my eyes closed while imagining myself in a neon dayglo narrative of the song.
My brain is fed up with analytical stuff. It wants to fly with Gary Wright. So today I played with fabrics and patterns in my stash and came up with some things I would like to sew. Will I? Maybe. If I get to it before my brain morphs it into something different.
If you have followed me for very long, some of these patterns and fabrics will look familiar. They may even be paired in their original combination.
Remember these colorful fabrics? I still want to sew them into Tropicana shirts. And this red denim still sends me. I can’t wait to sew my first Pym pants.
This may be the first project I tackle: a Tropicana shirt and matching a-line skirt in this graphic print. Or maybe I will make a shirt for me and a matching one for Bob. He did express interest. Matchy matchy!
I’m glad I didn’t attempt the bathing suit last summer since I have lost some weight. I do hope I manage to sew it this summer. It will be a challenge. I also want to sew another pair of tapered Mitchell trousers in black brushed cotton, a Linnet dress in the salt and pepper cotton and linen, and an easy skirt in the gray linen to wear with tees.
Speaking of tees, I have more Last Drive In tees than a sane person should. I’m thinking about sewing a t-shirt quilt with these. There should be another shirt for the next season I can get to fill in the space.
These are for down the road a ways: palazzo pants in a floral print, two linen summer dresses, a linen pocket skirt, and that party dress in silk. I love these projects, but they don’t really fit my lifestyle. Let’s face it, if I sewed for my lifestyle, I would only make pajamas.
As I neared the finish on the first Canadiana sock for Bob, I thought I had better have him try it on. Welp, it’s time for the toe decreases, and I haven’t finished the stripes yet! There are other errors in the foot, so this is final straw for me. I will be ripping this back to the end of the gusset and reknitting the foot in stockinette, starting the stripes sooner.
How are your projects coming along?
This has been a Year of Projects (YOP) Update. The group is in its 14th year, but I have only been doing it for a few years. This is a Ravelry based group. You can learn more here.
I finished sewing the Liston Smock from an old, cotton duvet cover. The bodice fit is great! I’ll enjoy wearing it in warm weather.
I didn’t realize I would have a cross front (and back) and center. I did work to center the brown stripe, and tried to match the plaids. I didn’t do a great job at that, as usual, but I don’t think it’s obvious.
I enjoyed sewing this pattern. It’s simple and straightforward. I had a little trouble with the armhole facings. They turned out fine, but next time I’ll need to focus more on the finishing. Honestly, I don’t love facings. Maybe I will line the top of the next version, which I’m planning to sew in silk for a party dress.
I’m still thinking about sewing a petticoat from the striped fabric from the duvet cover, but I’m not sure. There might be a better use for it.
Next month I’m planning to sew up those planters from peanut bags I’ve been saving. We’ve purchased a greenhouse, and we will need more planters!
ScrapHappy is a group of bloggers creating with scraps. Anything made of genuine scraps is eligible to write about. If you would like to join in on the 15th of the month, email Kate at the address on her Contact Me page.
Here are the links for everyone who joins ScrapHappy on occasion.
Kate, Eva, Sue,Lynda,
Birthe,Turid,Tracy,Jan,
Moira,Sandra, Chris, Alys,
Claire, Jean, Dawn, Gwen,
Sunny,Kjerstin, Sue L, Vera,
Ann,Dawn 2,Carol,Preeti,
Nóilin, Viv, Karrin, Alissa,
Tierney, Hannah and Maggie
I’m really pleased with how these tapered Mitchell Trousers turned out. I like them even better than the wide legged version I sewed last year.
I think I will sew another pair in black brushed cotton twill from my stash. Then I should be set on trousers for spring and fall.
I blind-hemmed three inches before cuffing the legs. When cropped trousers go out of fashion, I will let out the hem, press, and rehem them, staying on trend.
Pattern is Mitchell Trousers by Closet Core patterns. Fabric is Shetland flannel by Robert Kauffman.
Knitting
In January I made good progress on my Wearing Cardigan. I am on the sleeves now. This image includes the vintage buttons I’m going to use.
This month I am ready to cast on the Working Shawl from Nordic knitting. I am also casting on a green Sophie Scarf for Shamrock Season. And I purchased some gorgeous black alpaca yarn at the Rust Belt Fibershed Symposium, which I will make into a simple cowl and beanie.
I have lapsed on the Canadiana socks for Bob. His heels of steel will tear right through this super soft merino and nylon, and I’m wondering what I was thinking.
Field Trips
I went to the Rust Belt Fibershed Symposium last weekend. I enjoyed the talks, demos, swaps, and vendors. I hope to go again next year.
Sewing
I sewed my goal projects — the joggers and coat from wool and cotton sweatshirt fleece – in January.
I also cut and started a new pair of Mitchell Trousers in the Kauffman gray cotton Shetland flannel. I am proud of this welt pocket. I was going to sew another nightgown from this fabric, but decided it was too heavy and nice. I am sewing the tapered version of the trousers, and hope to finish them soon.
Weaving
I will continue my tea towel weaving. I am taking my time with them. I would love a loom stand so I could work on the loom in the evening during TV time, but that will have to wait.
This has been a Year of Projects (YOP) Update. The group is in its 14th year, but I have only been doing it for a few years. This is a Ravelry based group. You can learn more here.
I’m still plugging away on my Wearing Cardigan. One more increase repeat, and it will be time to start the sleeves. Once the sleeves are made, everything will be joined to knit the yoke.
I love this flannel shirt. I saved it when I was too big for it. It fits again, but it was tunic length, like everything back then. I cut off the “tails” and hemmed it to make it regular shirt length.
And most excitedly! I warped my rigid heddle loom and started weaving! The warp is cotton and linen. The weft is slub cotton. I will make two tea towels for our kitchen. I have to say, plain weaving is a calming activity.
We woke up to -9 degrees F this morning, and a frozen hot water pipe in one of the bathrooms. We let the tap run and put a space heater in there. I don’t know if that helped, or if it warmed up enough outside, but the hot water is moving again. We collected the water and I used it to wash my dirty woolens so we wouldn’t waste it.
Work has been nonstop this month, but I managed a little crafting.
I am making good progress knitting my Wearing Cardigan. Stockinette stitch is my jam. I did end up shaping the waist.
I cut a new pair of Mitchell Trousers. This time I am sewing the tapered version in some Shetland (cotton) flannel from stash.
AlissaMakes 