Once was not enough! I had to make another Washi Dress! I made this dress just the same as my last one except this time I omitted the keyhole in the neckline. I kept the same alteration in the waistline so that it is about 2-3" lower than the pattern calls for. (Click through to my last version for more notes about sewing this dress.)
The shirring on my first dress is holding up really well, so I did that method for this version as well. Executing shirring still feels like performing a magic trick.
I left the neckline facing unattached for this version, but think I will need to go back and tack it down so it behaves better. It is a little flippy.
I think my next Washi will be the shirt/tunic version. I am digging the comfort and the silhouette this pattern produces, so I am not ready to jump off the Washi train yet!
Hello! I have a new dress to show you! I worked long and hard on this one and am really excited about it. This is a slightly modified version of the popular Washi Dress pattern from Made by Rae. Let me walk you through the features of this fine pattern.
SHIRRING! This dress gave me an opportunity to try my hand at shirring. Whoo-ee! It is a magical technique. Basically, you sew stripes next to each other using elastic thread on one side and regular thread on the other. And then, after you have sewn all of your lines, you hit it with a blast or two from the steam iron and the magic happens! Here is the before and after:
BUST DARTS! KEYHOLE NECKLINE! PLEATS! The pattern has options for the neckline and an expansion pack for even more options! I went with the original keyhole neckline for my dress and plan to make more versions of this dress with different necklines. The pleats contribute to the relaxed fit of the dress. And the bust darts landed in the right spot without any modifications needed.
MODIFIED BODICE! People, I made 2 muslins to make sure my alterations were going to work and I am so glad I took the time to do that. The original location of the waist line was right underneath the bust and I feared that silhouette would end up looking like a maternity dress on me. By dropping the waist line down 2-3 inches, I feel a lot better about the fit.
WRINKLES! Ok, so they aren't a feature per se, but they are a part of the package with a 100% cotton dress.
LAYERING OPTIONS! I actually finished this dress in the early spring and wore it a few times with leggings, a cardigan and boots. I found that a silk slip does wonders when it comes to the drape and functionality of a cotton dress, especially when it is layered against other fabrics. The skirt of this dress has enough fabric that I can easily bike in it. Hooray! Since I opted against adding the cap sleeves, the fitted cardigan I used to layer over it worked well.
I knew when I purchased this pattern that I was going to work hard to get the sizing and modifications just right so that I can use it as a template for a lot of versions of this dress. After I make another dress and a few tunics (the pattern includes a shirt-length version as well), I will probably buy the expansion pack so that I can make even more variations! In other words, this pattern really works for me.
The details:
Thanks to Paul for the pictures and Uli for the co-modeling.
Pattern: Washi Dress size medium with modifications
Fabric:3 yds of Nomad by Urbanchiks for Moda Fabrics 100% cotton stock #31103
My friend Sarah recently gave birth to a baby boy. Ryan came a little bit early so I ended up getting this gift to her just barely in time. Sarah's last baby was a fall/winter baby so I knit her a sweater. This time, since her due date meant a summer baby, I went with a set of sewn baby bibs.
I followed the baby bib pattern from Bend-the-Rules Sewing by Amy Karol.
The front is a cotton quilting fabric and the backing is a cotton flannel. Plus: snaps! This was the first time I have used snaps so I had to get a snap setter. It requires the use of a hammer and was really satisfying to use! Now I want to make more things with snaps!
It really is a balance, you know. In my life and I am sure in yours too, there never seems to be enough time to fit it all in so you have to prioritize your responsibilities and do what you can to sprinkle in the lighter stuff whenever possible. For me, that means that lately this space isn't getting quite as much attention from me. I have wanted to be here. I have wanted to take more photos with my big camera. I have missed creating a record of the all of the great things (and some of the challenging things) that happen in my days.
As I get older, I have become more aware of how far I can push myself, of how much I can ask of myself. I have also become aware of what the consequences will be if and when I push too hard or pack too much in (Spoiler: I get sick and cranky). Time and time again, it has also been made clear to me how linked creativity (by this, I mean the act of creating something) is to my happiness, to my sense of balance and to what makes me feel like myself.
A few years ago, I took a Strengthsfinder assessment at work that put a frame around parts of myself I had never really pinpointed but that are at the core of who I am. I am not usually one to put much stock in inventories or assessments but this one really hit home for me! This assessment identifies your top 5 themes/strengths. My themes were: Achiever, Learner, Input, Responsibility, and Individualization. I've linked to the full explanation but let me do a little synopsis of the most relevant parts of these themes.
Achiever - You measure yourself by what you accomplish every single day of your life.
Learner - You are curious and have a strong desire to continually learn new things and skills.
Input - You like learning so much, you apparently had to get it on your list twice
Responsibility - You are only as good as your word. No excuses.
Individualization - You believe in individuals rather than generalizations and spend a lot of energy observing in attempts to understand each person.
Since the Achiever theme was the real lightbulb one for me, let me share their full explanation:
Your Achiever theme helps explain your drive. Achiever describes a constant need for achievement. You feel as if every day starts at zero. By the end of the day you must achieve something tangible in order to feel good about yourself. And by "every day" you mean every single day -- workdays, weekends, vacations. No matter how much you may feel you deserve a day of rest, if the day passes without some form of achievement, no matter how small, you will feel dissatisfied. You have an internal fire burning inside you. It pushes you to do more, to achieve more. After each accomplishment is reached, the fire dwindles for a moment, but very soon it rekindles itself, forcing you toward the next accomplishment. Your relentless need for achievement might not be logical. It might not even be focused. But it will always be with you. As an Achiever you must learn to live with this whisper of discontent. It does have its benefits. It brings you the energy you need to work long hours without burning out. It is the jolt you can always count on to get you started on new tasks, new challenges. It is the power supply that causes you to set the pace and define the levels of productivity for your work group. It is the theme that keeps you moving.
Does this come across braggy? That is not my intention. What I am trying to say here is that my head is FULL to bursting with to do lists and projects and obligations nearly all of my waking hours. A little snippet from inside my head for you: I need to make sure I email that person that I said I would and do we have enough toilet paper and it really would be great to learn how to weld someday and I wonder if I forgot to do anything that I said I would get done at work today and wow there sure are a lot of weeds in the garden I can't believe I let it get that bad and it has been way too long since I have gotten together with them did I say I would host next and shouldn't I be making my own yogurt instead of buying it since I know how and it isn't too hard to do and by the way I had better write up that list of things to make for Christmas gifts so I am sure to get it done on time and I wonder what she meant when she said that and this article looks interesting and I should learn more about beekeeping and I really wish I was farther along with that dress because I am excited to wear it....and on and on and on. My brain works really hard to make sure I get a lot done and don't drop any balls in the process. It is really helpful but also demanding. Sometimes you just need a little peace and quiet, you know? I have literally told my own brain to SHUT IT! Thankfully, it is able to obey if the circumstances are right.
For someone who wants to learn, make and experience it all, it feels like there is a cost associated with choices. When you chose one road, there is another road not taken. This makes me a bit sad because it really would be great to feel like one person can do it all. But, well, that is just not possible. On the other hand, you can choose to focus on the joys of what you do get to do! I try to train myself to think that way.
So, in that spirit, I am finding myself migrating towards a new balance when it comes to sharing images and tidbits from my life online. I have been finding that I can use my slivers of time left after I work and take care of my family, my house and myself to learn and make things (and try to relax!) or I can blog. And, well, the other stuff is winning out. That is, except for in one area.
Six months ago I joined Instagram on a whim while riding the bus home. I thought I was going to use it to be a lurker and follow a few people. But, since then, I have found it to be a quick, easy and fun way to send out a little contribution to the worldwide web. It ended up being a slow and gentle segue into sharing small snippets more often there and writing big posts less often here. Don't worry, I am not going to stop blogging, but I am really loving the ease and image-based community on Instagram. If you are on Instagram and want to connect, I am @TrinKnitty
For those that might want to see what I am posting but not join yet another site, I added a little widget to my sidebar. The widget is a slideshow of my pictures. You can click on a picture to see the caption. I am currently only using my camera phone to take and post pictures there so my photography is limited, but you can't beat the ease and seamless nature of that setup.
I should mention, I don't use Twitter, so my social media sphere is pretty targeted (Facebook for friends and family, Goodreads for books, Pinterest for recipes, Ravelry for knitting projects, a Feedly full of favorite bloggers). One of the things that I am loving about Instagram is that it allows me to put my toes in a different stream of content. There are so many beautiful, inspiring, peaceful, exhilarating, clever images coming through my Instagram feed from people that I have no real life connection to.
For example, a few weeks ago, it seemed that a ton of people from different parts of the country (maybe world?) got taken with the same bug: the rope basket bug. And, not surprisingly, it bit me, too! I made a trip to the hardware store to pick up two bundles of rope to give it a try, playing with the methods of starting it, the length of the stitches, the thread color ending strategies and handles.
True to form for an achiever/learner, after my 2 test baskets, I went back to the store and stocked up on ropes of varying size and thicknesses. These are addictive and satisfying to make and the variations are endless! I am having visions of a rug, placements, coasters, stacking bowls, tote bags with leather handles, painted rope, naturally dyed rope, thread color variations, wall hangings...and more! Why am I bothering to list them all out?! Just go check this guy's work out.
I want to end this post by saying that while this all might add up to sound like I am ditching the blog, I am not. What I am hoping to do is feel less responsible about it. It probably won't feel any different for you, but it makes a big difference to me. I want to feel less like I should blog and more like I can blog. From now on, I will pop in here when the mood strikes, time allows and I've got something to say. I won't feel the need to apologize for being away so long and you'll hopefully be happy to see me. Here's to irresponsible blogging and poor camera phone pictures! Hmm. Perhaps it is obvious that marketing is not one of my strengths!
PS If you want to try your hand at making a rope basket, I like this quick tutorial.
PPS In a bit of serendipity, my blog widget that tracks geographic stats crashed and the data for the entire history of this blog was lost. A fitting time to wipe the slate clean, I guess. You might also notice that I reduced the content on the sidebar. The functionality of the blog lists has long been lackluster, so I nixed it. Let me know if there was anyone there you want to still read but can't find them now that I pulled the links. I'd be happy to point you in their direction.
PPPS Thanks for spending some of your precious time reading my words and giving me a place in your life whether we know each other in person or not. I value your presence.
As long as we are talking about crafting for friends, I have another project to share! I am quite proud of this one as it stretched my comfort level, increased my sewing skills and took over a year to come to fruition.
The pattern is Socialite by Anna Maria Horner. The fabric is also by Anna Maria Horner and is called Innocent Crush - Loves Me Loves Me Not. This colorway is called Grape. My friend Jamie was with me when I bought the fabric and pattern for this dress. Right from the start she was excited about this project. She had been eyeing the pattern but deemed it beyond her sewing skills and time. She also felt the fabric was her style but agreed it would work for me, too.
I didn't start the project right away because it took a while to figure out how I wanted to transfer the pattern without cutting the original. I finally decided on exam table paper. You can buy it in a roll, it is pretty thin, affordable and allows for a variety of lengths. For the record, it works wonderfully and I am happy I did my research before buying a more complicated tracing set up. However, the tracing did end up creating a problem, which I will explain in a minute.
I worked on this dress for a bit and then set it aside and then picked it up and worked a bit more at it. That seems (seams!) to be how I sew. Then, I went on a trip to a cabin last summer and brought this project along. Thanks to the rainy weather, I surged (serged!) ahead, making lots of progress. That was when and where I discovered something wasn't lining up right in the neck/collar area.
I set it aside and revisited it when I got home and could consult the original pattern. It turns out when I traced one of the collar pieces, I followed the line for a different size. The small adjustment was throwing off the front and back alignment. Lesson learned: trace slowly and carefully and double check the tracings against the original before you move on. I was able to orchestrate a fix and am happy to say the mistake is pretty much contained within the fudging of a seam allowance. Phew!
As the project was coming together, I tried it on and realized it was a bit snug in the arms. I forged ahead and finished the last few steps. During the final fitting, it dawned on me this was Jamie's dress all along! I made the size that fit my measurements, but the end product seems like it was made for someone a wee bit smaller and shorter than I am. In other words, someone Jamie's size.
It was then that I tucked it away and decided I could hold it for another month or so until Christmas and offer it up as a fun Christmas gift. She had no idea it was coming and seemed quite happy with the gift. When she tried it on at home, she let me know the pockets were adding bulk and looking unflattering. I gave her full permission to cut the pockets out and seam up the sides to close up the pocket areas. She did just that and took it with her to a crafting retreat in California a few weeks ago. Second lesson learned from this project: avoid side pockets in dresses.
The third and final lesson I learned while making this dress is to pay attention to the fabric pattern. I laid my pattern pieces out in a way that optimized my fabric when I should have centered the dominant print in the fabric to match the center line of the main dress pattern piece. I don't think the end result worked out too terribly, but I would make a different choice if and when I make this dress again.
I have so many things I would like to sew and have a hard time getting projects going. I have been trying to identify and address barriers that keep me from sewing more, so maybe I will have another finished project to share before another year passes. Too many crafting interests and too little time is a problem I suspect you might know about, too. What helps you be a productive crafter/sewist?
A wedding present for my friend Becky and her new husband Kyle. These are my first attempts at potholders and I think they turned out to be a relatively good pair.
The front is a mixture of fabrics and the back is a panel of the striped fabric you might recognize from a recent project!
I included a loop of ribbon in case the newlyweds prefer to hang their potholders. There is a double layer of cotton batting in the middle to make them able to do their job. I don't have a walking foot, so I had to futz with things to keep all these layers feeding through evenly. The corners got a bit thick and hard to sew through.
I was inspired by the instructions from my girl thursday's blog post. Since I wanted to use the cotton batting I had on hand instead of the kind Chantilly had on hand for her instructions, I didn't sew my strips to the backing. I sewed the 4 layers together after they were all cut to size and then turned it right side out with a little area I had left open. Sometimes it is really nice to sew things that don't have to fit a person!
After finishing the Wiksten Tank and not loving it, I decided to give the pattern another go. This time I made the dress version with a much lighter fabric.
I was happy about how much faster it went this time. It helps to be familiar with the pattern. I also think I am getting more confident in my sewing skills and pattern deciphering. I sped along pretty quickly and finished this in 2 sessions.
The fact of the matter is that this pattern still creates a very sack-like shape, which I only like when it is belted or drawn in with a jacket or bolero. I am glad I made it again, but I don't think it will be a go-to pattern for me going forward. I think of this as a good stepping stone for some of the more fitted patterns I would like to make in the future.
I was glad to have more practice binding edges. I obviously need even more practice! I ended up employing a bit of creative problem solving (sewing the neck down with 2 lines of stitching instead of one) when it didn't lay that nicely after the first pass.
I think the neckline turned out fine in the end. I love the colors in this fabric and the dress is certainly comfortable.
I wore it out to our anniversary dinner a few weeks ago.
Paul took most of the photos in this post that day except for this lovely one that I took to commemorate our 12 year anniversary:
Ha! It was kind of bright out and it hurt my eyes.
I made these down throw pillows a long, long time ago by breaking apart a really old down bed pillow. Paul is allergic to down, so we didn't bother moving them to the east coast with us. They've been stored at my mom's house for years. I recently got them back and intended to use them in my craft/guest room. But, first they needed covers!
I purchased cotton flannel and wool felt and set about making some covers. I played around for a while with different shapes and layers of felt.
I had a lot of help.
A lot.
Too much, maybe.
Definitely more than the project required.
In the end, I opted for a super simple design with a back slit that allows the cover to be taken off for washing.
I settled on some poppy-like flowers for the front. It was fun to sew something that didn't require a pattern or following someone else's directions.
(Note the cat ear in the bottom right of this last photo. She was really into the project.)
I'd call myself a maker. More specifically: a knitter, an urban gardener, a food preserver, a cook, a baker, a reader, a photo taker, a budding sewist and an all-around dabbler. I enjoy using this space to record the things I see, make, eat, and do.
My husband and co-conspirator on the much linked to Mega Man hat. He is the house expert when it comes to all things with electrical cords/chargers and/or anything that requires configuring. When I first met Paul he was a smoker and a vegetarian. Now he is a non-smoker who enjoys making smoked meat in his BBQ. Paul recently dove headfirst into brewing beer and is quickly acquiring mad brewing skills. If you are really lucky, he will invite you to one of his Meat Meet Supper Club dinners or Beer Release parties.
Cast of Characters: Fanny
Fanny joined our family in 2008 and has been keeping our laps warm ever since then. When we met Fanny at a shelter in Boston, we thought she was a small, adult cat. We were wrong. She must have been less than a year old, because when we brought her home and fed her, she kept getting bigger and bigger and fluffier and fluffier. In addition to her stellar cuddling skills, Fanny’s claim to fame is that she is a polydactyl cat with a fused or “super” claw. We think she is super in every way.
Cast of Characters: Uli
Uli joined our family on Valentine's Day of 2015. We met him when he was just a few hours old and took him into our home at 7 weeks old. We are looking forward to many years of shared experiences and adventures with this inquisitive and energetic German Shorthaired Pointer pup.
Cast of Characters: Camilla Cordon Bleu
Camilla is our chicken with charm. She is usually the first one to come running to see if you have a treat for her. She is also the chicken most likely to be found perched somewhere she shouldn’t be or wandering off by herself to explore a new area first. Camilla is a Barred Rock, lays brown eggs and is the smallest bird in our flock.
Cast of Characters: Nellie Noodle Soup
Nellie is our bridge bird as she seems to hold the flock together. She usually roosts between Camilla and Petunia and can be found happily foraging alongside either one of them. The only thing that ruffles her feathers is finding herself alone. She is a Rhode Island Red and our biggest hen. Nellie is our first layer and lays brown eggs.
Cast of Characters: Petunia Pot Pie
Petunia is our crafty dodger. She is the hardest to catch and the last to be won over with treats. Her feathers are beautifully ornate which helps make up for her slightly bullyish attitude towards Camilla. She is an Ameraucana and and she lays light blue eggs for us.
In Memoriam: Tchazo
Tchazo, our Weimaraner, was born 3 days before Paul and I had our first date. During our first date, Paul and I egged each other on about getting dogs. Eight weeks later, Tchazo became a part of our lives. After almost 12 amazing years and countless adventures together, we said goodbye to Tchazo in 2014. Tchazo loved life, especially the parts that include eating, smelling, sunbathing, playing and cuddling on the bed. We will forever remember him and the lessons he taught us about joy.
In Memoriam: Jack
I adopted Jack at about the same time Paul bought Tchazo (see previous note about egging each other on), but since Tchazo was young and needed to stay with his mom for a few more weeks, Jack came into our house first. For a while, he HATED Tchazo but they eventually became 24-7 buddies. After nearly 11 years together, we had to put Jack down in March of 2013. Jack was a little crazy in the head, but we learned how to live with it. His favorite things included licking the floor, lying under the couch and gazing at me longingly. Jack was physically incapable of wagging his tail whilst being petted. I like to think it is because he was soaking up the love so intensely that it required his full concentration.
