Author: qplourde

I'm not sure why I have to describe myself so much.

The Cure for the Summertime Blues…or When Life Gives You Lemons

On By qplourdeIn Sewing Projects, Uncategorized1 Comment

Summer in New England does seem to go by too quickly and this year is no exception. It’s been kind of a strange season weather-wise, but I’ve been able to make the most of it with a beach day here and a hike there. I got caught in a few epic rain storms as well, ones where rain coats and umbrellas don’t seem to do much. I’m not going to get to do all the things I wanted to this summer, but I was able to finish my second Riley top. I am calling this one a success since I was able to lengthen it enough so it works with midrise pants and it looks good despite using the wrong type of fabric. The ties on these are a little wonky, but when its all tied up, I don’t think it will make much of a difference.

I even was able to make bias tape for this one with the fabric, although it didn’t quite press as well as plain cotton, which made for a very frustrating project.

There has to be a better way…I think I need a better tool to make bias tape if I’m going to be doing this more often…

Despite this, it worked ok for the facings. I extended the length of the top by 1.5 inches, so it still has a slight cropped look.

So glad to finally be able to use this fabric for something! And I have more leftover, so I may use it for some lounge pants or I may also make a pair of these great knit pajama shorts that I had self drafted a pattern for.

I was able to test out the shorts pattern on some leftover knit I had from a 1970’s style dress I made. All the pajama shorts I purchase seem to have ridiculously wide legs that tend to ride up in my sleep. I wanted something a bit more comfortable and these worked great. It could be a great way to use up leftover knit as well, which will help with my overall stash-busting project.

A very fast extra project for the month. I think this could be a great way to bust some stash and also give me more comfortable pajama shorts!

Up next for the month is making this cute sleeveless tie-top using McCalls 8620 (view C).

I’m trying out the fit on some lemon-print cotton I bought in Montreal. I had a feeling this pattern would need some adjusting and so far I’ve been proven right. The collar on it just doesn’t seem to match up to how it’s supposed to fit on the shirt. I think if I make it smaller it could work better. I may also have to extend the front facing a bit too so it can reach where it needs to go. It’s odd that the facings are cut along with the main shirt front. Folding it in the way the pattern described was extremely confusing. It took a few tries and 3 times unpicking the stitches before I figured out what they were trying to do. I was able to figure it out by actually pressing the facing in place first to see how it needed to land. Anyways, this one will never be perfect, but I’m confident my next one could be great if I take my time and figure it out right. I did shorten it a bit, but so far it doesn’t seem to need too much size adjusting, which is lucky.

I also started the bodice on my summer sundress, but I quit to cut out some button-up shorts out of some scrap denim. This is another test garment as I’m not sure I can get the fit right on the first try. I have some anchor print (I think it’s Chambray?) that I’ve really wanted to do something with. I think this may be the perfect pattern for it, but I need to make sure. I’ll get to the dress eventually, but it’s a high possibility it won’t be ready for this summer. But you never know.

Summertime Tanks: The Life of Riley

On By qplourdeIn Sewing Projects, Uncategorized2 Comments

Oh this summer! The other day I went to put on my favorite bathing suit. As I was pulling the bottoms over my legs I hear “bbbrrrrrrruuuuuupt” – that all knowing sound of old elastic stretching out. The legs holes were totally useless as the back just hung off my butt like an untucked sheet. Very depressing – and they weren’t even that old! I had the idea that I could probably just replace the elastic in the legs, so I didn’t throw them out. They now sit on a pile of well intentioned projects I say I’ll get to – running belts that I haven’t sewn up yet or tee shirts that I want to repurpose into tank tops. It’s so hard when there are so many other cool things to sew. I really do want to fix these bathing suit bottoms though…

These bottoms fit so well! And lately the suits I’ve tried on don’t seem to cover much of my bottom…it would be nice to salvage these.

Right now, I’m busy with summer tank tops. I saw this Seamwork pattern in my collection, the Riley top, and I thought it looked really cute. I had also been trying to figure out what to do with this fun cotton fabric I bought. I thought this might be the perfect top for it, but wanted to figure out the fit and the length first. I knew it was a cropped style and it seems like when Seamwork says its cropped, its REALLY cropped.

I thought there was a possibility I’d want to lengthen it just a tad. I didn’t want it too long either, which is usually my complaint of other patterns. I found this Paris-themed cotton in my stash. It was one of those times I just bought something because I thought it looked cool even though I had no idea what I would sew up with it. It’s just plain cotton, a little on the thick side so probably not ideal for this project, which I think prefers a lighter weight fabric. I decided to go for it and it mainly works. It’s a little bulky in places and the ties and bottom casing a little stiff, but the print is really cute for this. For a test garment, it’s extremely wearable. I tried to really take my time on the hem and the facing, so it didn’t look too sloppy. I think the result is great.

The Seamwork Riley top, in some nice cotton
A very rainy day in Cambridge, MA. But it’s still muggy enough to wear a summer top.

Now to try it with the real fabric. This is lighter weight so I think it will sew up nicely. However, I had thought it had just a slight stretch to it, but when I started cutting into it, I realized it’s pretty much a two-way stretch jersey. I’m still going to try it – the pattern doesn’t use too much fabric, so I will still have some fabric left for another top if this doesn’t work out the way I want it to. After seeing where the Paris tank landed, I decided to extend the pattern by 1.5 inches. That way I could wear it to work if I wanted or at least not feel self conscious wearing it when I’m not at my fittest.

This fabric is so cute!

I made too much bias tape for the first tank, but I’m hoping what I cut out will make enough for this one. I’ve been dreading it and putting it off because there was just so much ironing with the last one, and I struggled with my bias tape tool for some reason – the fabric just kept moving and shifting to one side. I may need another tool that’s easier to use.

With all these tops, I think I may need to switch it up. I’m really wanting to make some shorts before the weather gets cooler, but it’s hard adding stuff to my growing list of potential projects. I think I need to at least attempt the dress I cut out first. We’ll see if I get distracted…again.

Beachwear for a Rainy Day

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Summer sewing has gone really well this year! It just might be because the weather has not been optimal. Many rainy days, cloudy skies and predictions of storms have made it hard to really enjoy these warmer months. It definitely has made it tough to plan a beach day. So when the chance of rain dropped this past weekend, I took advantage of it. Even though it wasn’t perfect beach weather with overcast skies all day and temperatures in the 70s, it was still nice to sit and listen to the waves and dip in the ocean.

I just finished two beachwear projects so I decided to show them off. The first was a pair of pink pants, made with what I think is cotton gauze fabric. The crinkly texture made me immediately think of beach pants, and the flowy drape fit my vision perfectly. I used a different view of a pattern I had made before, Simplicity 2414. This time I went for the long pants with the casing and ties at the bottom. I really like the result, although I think next time I would make the holes a bit closer together in the casing at the bottom of the legs. I think I had trouble marking the spots correctly.

In staying with the pink theme, I also managed to sew up a Megan Nielsen Eucalypt dress in this turtle print rayon I already had. I was going through (and attempting to clean out) my fabric stash and found that I had a lot leftover from when I made my other bathing suit cover up. I figured this would be a perfect pattern to try out, especially since its such a fast sew. I used french seams, which was recommended by the pattern, and I liked how it included a pattern for the strips to make the bias tape for the neck and armhole facings. Even though I usually make my bias tape by a different method, this worked well since I didn’t need a lot for this dress. The fit isn’t perfect, so I think I would adjust the top the next time, maybe making a smaller size and then grading it at the bottom. It works well for a cover up though and I’m a really big fan of this turtle print. Being able to get rid of some of my fabric stash with a project that only took a few days was a real plus.

Rainy weekends can be very productive, as I also had a chance to cut out some other projects. I’m in the process of making a summer tank top – I’m trying it out on some Paris-themed cotton I found (yay more stash busting!) so I can size it for this other really cute semi-stretch fabric I also bought on a whim. This other fabric also seems to be French themed – maybe my subconscious is telling me I need a trip. Speaking of bias tape, I ended up making enough to bind my whole apartment I think. Well, it’s always a good thing to have on hand anyways. This will be for the Riley Tank by Seamwork. I’m hoping my one-way stretch fabric will work for this pattern even though it’s for woven fabric. I think it could be a top that I wear quite often – I may need to lengthen it for my next attempt, but I haven’t quite finished the first version to see.

My other method of making bias tape shown above – it involves cutting a section to make a parallelogram and marking up strips for the tape. Then it’s sewn into a tube and cut into one continuous strip. There are tutorials online for the specifics.

I also started work on a sleeveless button down shirt – another trial before I cut into the fabric I really want the shirt from. This may just be the summer of muslins. And I also started cutting out a summer dress, which I am excited to get started on. This will be a wearable muslin (I hope) as I’m trying to find something suitable to make with the only Liberty cotton fabric in my stash.

So a lot is going on right now and I’m getting things done! Hopefully the clouds will lift soon, but in the meantime I can sew for the summer I want, even if it’s not the summer I got.

How its going in 2023

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We are halfway through 2023 and I have not written about one project. I have been sewing…somewhat. But I think I’ve been giving the phrase “slow fashion” a whole new meaning as my projects seem to go on forever without conclusion. A few weekends ago, I was at Pattern Review weekend, an event put on the Patternreview.com, a sewing pattern sale/review website and online sewing community. We were in historic Lowell, Massachusetts, which is about 25 minutes from where I live now and about 20 minutes from where I grew up. While I was there, I casually mentioned that I hadn’t had much time for sewing this year and this woman criticized this when she found out I didn’t have kids. I guess my full time job and various childless activities didn’t seem like enough to her as to why my creative process had slowed down.

I’m not sure why this winter and spring has been such a dry spell for my sewing – I had definitely been buying enough fabric and planning out ideas for what I could make for the winter. My free time just seemed to slip away with other things – vacation planning, learning video editing…oh and I was training for the Boston Marathon.

Some of the non-sewing events in my life from this past spring. I got engaged, ran the Boston Marathon and went on a trip to Canada with my fiancé and my parents

Hanging out with other sewists at the event this month ended up being a great thing because it gave me a refresh on why I started sewing in the first place. I also wanted to get back to blogging and it’s hard when you don’t have a completed project with photos to write about. Maybe this year (what’s left of it anyways) I will focus on sewing more as the journey than as the destination. I can use it as a space for works in process, fashion inspiration and sewing problem solving. It will be an interesting experiment to see if it will help me write more. Maybe in turn it will get me to sew more. After looking at my disaster of a sewing corner, I desperately need to reduce my stash.

Maybe I can work on getting more blog followers too…I need to go back out and spread the blog love which is something I have not even bothered with for 5 years or so. I don’t want to get too ambitious as I still have other priorities that take up time.

As for right now, I just spent a few weekends finishing up some of my winter projects that I had cut out at the beginning of the season. It’s too hot to wear them now, so I will probably write about them later on. This past February, I was able to complete these great cigarette pants with some plaid ponte knit that I bought at Gorgeous Fabrics. This is a mostly online store, but every once in a while they have an open house where you can go and buy in person. The fabric reminded me of pants I had loved when I was in high school in the mid 1990s. The owner had even told me the perfect pattern that would go with this fabric: the RENÉE pants from Jalie patterns. She ended up being 100% right, because this was exactly what I wanted. It bunches a bit up behind my knees, so I think I need to figure out how to fit pant legs a bit better. But at least I didn’t make these too big like I usually do. They are very comfortable too – I got some great use out of them this winter and I’m sure when fall rolls around, I will be reaching for them again. Maybe by then I will need a new top to go with them.

I’m so glad I’ve got some new projects in my queue that I’m really excited about. It honestly just feels good to be enthusiastic about sewing, even if I end up not finding the time.

Take Two for 2022: One last skirt

On By qplourdeIn Sewing Projects, Take Two, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Patterns:

  • Juniper Skirt by Mood Fabrics
  • McCalls 6402

Okay, I know it’s already 2023, but I did happen to finish my last skirt just under the wire on December 31st, so I’m counting this as part of 2022.

This is the story of a fabric that I just couldn’t tame and multiple bad pattern choices. We start back earlier this year when I scored this rather unusual looking fabric with a designed I just loved. I knew I had to make a skirt out of it, but I just couldn’t quite figure out the style that would work for it. The fabric felt a bit stiff, until I washed it and realized it had more of a flowy quality than I first realized. To this day I have no idea what this fabric is – I bought it at a discount off a remnant table. I’m thinking it’s probably a type of polyester. I would never have predicted how hard it would be to sew with. Despite the fabric being somewhat thin, it was still difficult to get a needle through. I opted for a microtex needle in my machine, which worked well enough.

When I first saw the Juniper Skirt pattern from Mood Fabrics, I thought I had found the perfect match. I just needed to get some lining, but what do you use for lining when you have no idea what the main fabric even is? I decided on some black rayon twill that I could easily order online. I figured it was also synthetic material, so shrinking wouldn’t be an issue. All in all this seems to be the only correct choice I made as this did make a good lining which gave the skirt the right amount of structure. This was the first time using a free pattern from Mood Fabrics – they seem to make a lot of good ones and I had been curious to try one of them out. The directions on the website seemed easy enough to follow with detailed photos, however there were a few times I felt lost or that the directions were not complete. Where I think I went wrong is when I had to sandwich the overskirt between the front and back panels. I thought I had figured it all out, but somehow the skirt just didn’t line up right and to this day I’m not even sure why it’s off. I just know I’m unable to wear it as it is just crooked. It was one of my most disappointing moments in sewing history as I thought the style with the front flap seemed to fit with what I had pictured for this skirt. I was so baffled as to where it all went wrong, that I opted not to try again even though I had enough fabric for a second skirt. I was afraid it was the fault of the pattern and I would just end up wasting more fabric.

The overskirt section does not line up right when this skirt is on and I couldn’t figure out a way to fix it where it would fit properly.

The one thing I liked about this pattern was there was no hem – the lining was cut a little shorter than the actual skirt and then you sew the lining to the bottom of the skirt. When the lining is lifted towards the waistband, the main skirt gets folded over, which creates a clean finish with no hemming required. I liked this look so much I decided that whatever pattern I chose for my next attempt, would use this method instead of a traditional hem.

I didn’t want to give up on this skirt, so I was on the lookout for another pattern. One with maybe a similar style. I found the McCalls pattern in my stash and thought it had potential. I had wanted to make view E as I thought that front drape would look similar to what I had in mind for this fabric. However the more I looked into it, I could not figure out a way to line the skirt with that pattern. It would take skills I do not have in order to hack it to create the hemline I wanted. So then I looked at view A. This version was lined and so I could attempt my lining trick with the hem. And I figured that maybe the diagonal panel design might actually look cool with this geometric type design. For some reason I had some trouble understanding this pattern as well and the pieces didn’t really line up the way I think they should have. The results were…well the only good think I can say about the skirt is that it fits me. It tends to bunch up a bit when I move, so I’m not sure it will work as a wearable skirt. At least not one that I will want to wear often. I did end up getting the hem I wanted with this, however I do wonder if my changes to the pattern is another reason why this skirt doesn’t fall correctly. On a good note, it is one of the only skirts I’ve made where the waist is the right size and tapers in appropriately, so maybe I am getting better at something from this exercise.

In conclusion, my second skirt ended up being better, but I still didn’t get what I wanted out of this fabric. And I’m not sure if the problem lay with the fabric, which I admit was more difficult to work with than I first thought, or the patterns themselves. The confusion I had is probably on me – my lack of experience with sewing may be a main factor in why I couldn’t get these right. It doesn’t feel great to end this year on a failure (or at least a non-success), but I guess that’s life sometimes.

2022 is over, but I probably will still attempt some do-over projects in this coming year, since I love improving on stuff I’ve already made. I am still mulling over what my focus for this year will be and I think I have something so stay tuned! This past year has mostly been pretty triumphant with my sewing projects and I am looking forward to continued success into the next year. Happy New Year to my readers and hope to see you in 2023!

Christmas card perfect: My Porg-jamas

On By qplourdeIn Sewing Projects, Uncategorized2 Comments

Patterns:

  • Sewaholic Tofino Pants
  • Thread Theory Designs Eastwood Pants

I don’t shop at Jo-Ann Fabrics for actual fabric that often, but it can be a great resource for novelty prints. When the movie Star Wars: The Last Jedi came out, I found this great flannel fabric that featured one of the creatures from the film – the porgs. These little guys were a highlight for me, cute little bird-like aliens that made all kinds of adorable noises and expressions. I ended up buying many yards of the fabric shortly after. Even with this major purchase, I wished I had gotten more, because they really made some cute pajama pants.

I at least had enough fabric to make matching bottoms for me and my significant other. For my pair, I stuck with my tried and true pattern, the Sewaholic Tofino pants. This meant I would have to make piping, which is an extra step, but I feel like it’s worth it for the professional-looking finish. I ended up just using some twill tape for the drawstring and sometimes I feel like it’s a bit flimsy for the job. I may replace it with some cording or at least something thicker at some point. But it’s working okay at the moment.

For the male version, I tried out a new pattern – the Eastwood Pajamas from Thread Theory Designs. It has pockets, which my pants do not have, and a fly that buttons. I liked the way the pants came out. I will say this is now my go-to pattern for male pajama pants. The fly has an extra panel, so the buttons are hidden under a top flap, which gives them a more polished look.

Awww, it’s adorable with our matching pants. Even though they are slightly different styles, they look good together. I really did think this should be our Christmas card. I guess I will have to settle for it just being on this blog.

Happy Holidays everyone! I hope I can take a few days around this busy season to get more sewing projects done. I can’t believe how fast the year has flown by.

My 100th blog entry…and I’m only talking about leggings

On By qplourdeIn Sewing Projects, Uncategorized1 Comment

Patterns:

  • Sewaholic Pacific Leggings
  • Fehr Trade PB Jam Leggings

I can’t believe it, but I’ve written 100 blog entries for this blog! It’s been such a sporadic journey as I try to write about my sewing. I have good intentions that never seem to carry out as work and life always get in the way. And I’ve also done nothing to promote myself and get myself out into the sewing blogging community. I am even worse at keeping up with my favorite blogs. My reading has dropped off more than my writing. But I have slowly kept at this somewhat, even though I’m pretty much writing to an empty audience (by my fault of course). My take two project have been going slowly, but 2022 is coming to a close and there were a few project ideas that I will not get to this year. In fact, I was hoping this month to write about my second attempt at a skirt, but I haven’t had much motivation to finish it and I’ve been moving on it a lot slower than I hoped. As I tried to work up some motivation to just get the darn thing finished, I ended up making some more leggings instead. After my pretty successful attempts earlier this year, there were some other ideas I wanted to try, even though I technically don’t need any more leggings this year.

The first pair was from a pattern I’ve already used, the Sewaholic Pacific leggings. I like the different panels on these, but I wanted to try to make a shorter version with the zipper in the back. I didn’t include the bottom leg panel and adjusted it so it was the length I wanted. I think maybe next time, I may have to keep all the panels and just shorten the leg to where I want it. The bottom of these kind of bunch up in a weird way, probably because it’s not designed to be the bottom. I think I didn’t quite taper the bottom correctly to create the right hem.

They are not bad though, and I did some topstitching on the legs using a kind of flatlock stitch, which I like. I also added some holes on the inside waistband so I have the option to add a drawstring inside to help with fit. The last pair I made felt a bit loose and I’ve had to hike them up when I run sometimes. This will hopeful secure them, I just need to find a good drawstring that will work to insert into them.

As you can see I added two button holes into the waistband on the inside, so I have the option to add a drawstring on the inside to make these pants more secure.

For the other pair, I took a chance on a new-to-me pattern by Fehr Trade, the PB Jam Leggings. I was excited to try this pattern out with this yoga-wear fabric I had bought a while back. It had such cool colors in it and an interesting design, that I thought it would be great with some color blocking. I needed to find a solid color that would work, so I settled on this navy blue lycra spandex, which I was actually able to use for a number of other projects as well. This design worked perfectly for what I envisioned for this fabric as it had these curved side panels and also a section at the knees.

I think they look pretty nice, especially for a first time. It was tough lining up the front and back legs so that the side swirl lined up okay. It’s still not perfect, but after basting them 5 different times, I was finally able to get it the best I could.

They are definitely very fitted! I definitely can’t gain any weight any time soon, but hopefully that won’t be too much of an issue, since I’m jumping right back into marathon training. I actually got an invitation to run the Boston Marathon from my running club! I’m so excited and nervous at the same time, but I think if I can focus on my training, I can get good results. And now I have some new pants to train with!

Reflecting on 100 posts, it’s been a pretty great 8 years of sewing. I’ve learned a lot since that first skirt I made back in 2014. I’m not sure I would have known then that I would still be keeping up with making my own wardrobe. But I’m glad to have stuck with it, even if my projects ebb and flow the way they do. I’m hoping to still have a few more posts this year and I definitely have many projects lined up for the winter. Maybe I can even get out there so I can get people to read this blog…well one thing at a time anyways.

Thanks for reading, whoever is out there!

Take two for 2022: Bicycle shorts made from bicycles (fabric)

On By qplourdeIn Sewing Projects, Take Two, Uncategorized2 Comments

Pattern: Fehr Trade Duathlon Shorts

I ran a marathon!

Fehr Trade Duathlon Shorts pattern

The past few months have been extremely busy with training and working, I barely had time for sewing. And I definitely had no time for blogging. But I did get a chance to sew up some exercise shorts which were a re-do from one of the first times I attempted to sew workout clothes.

Back in the days when I couldn’t even fathom running a full marathon, I had made the capri length version of this pattern to wear for a half marathon. The pattern was easy to follow and the pants easy to sew up, but what I didn’t understand at that time was how to size them properly. I was going off of finished measurements, not remembering that running pants are supposed to fit tight and stretch over your body. Therefore the measurements should be smaller than your normal pants measurements. I ended up making them a size large, which fit extremely loose at the time. To make matters worse, I ended up losing some weight after my initial wear, which made these pants basically useless for exercising in. It was a bit disappointing since I really liked how they came out. I knew I had to make another pair at some point, and this time I would not be afraid to make a smaller size.

running pants - final

Even though I use these for running, they are technically bicycle shorts. I actually like to run in longer shorts because it prevents thigh chafing. I had gotten this bicycle fabric a while back because I thought the print would look cute for a pair of leggings. I happen to have the pink and purple spandex, which made a great contrast for the side pockets.

As I mentioned, my first attempt was a size large. These are a size small, which seems like the perfect fit for me. This time around I also used a twin needle for the a double row of stitching on the waist and hem. I didn’t need to do anything special to prevent the tunneling of the fabric, so it ended up being a good gamble.

Even though I made these right before the big race, I did not wear them for the marathon. However, I did do some sewing for the main event. I knew I needed to fuel up a lot since I would be out there for many hours, so I sewed up a few arm bands made from a free pattern by Fehr Trade that I had also made years ago. I also made a running belt to match, all matching the red, white and blue of my marathon outfit. The fabric was softer than spandex and the belt stayed in place a lot better than other ones I had made in the past. It was nice to have another way to carry fuel, since my pants pockets were already stuffed to the gills.

I haven’t had a chance to wear these new shorts on a run yet, I just put them on for a celebratory photo with my marathon medal. This marathon ended up being pretty special for me as I ran it with a giant group from my running club. We trained together all summer and fall and traveled to Washington DC for the main event. The weather was beautiful, the course was inspiring and even though I didn’t get quite the time I wanted, I did end up with a personal best. I’m not sure what my next running goal will be, but when that time comes, I’ll be ready with some new gear.

Dress for Success: My Seersucker Vision

On By qplourdeIn Sewing Projects, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Pattern: Francois Dress by Tilly and the Buttons

I was going to start this month off writing about this great new skirt I made, but it ended up being not-so-great. I think actually it will end up as a “take two” entry, when I get around to re-making it. These last three weeks, I’ve been super busy with summer stuff and marathon training stuff, that I have not had much time for sewing. But I did want to at least showcase another win I had fairly recently, making the Francois dress from Tilly and the Buttons. I loved this pattern, and it was so well-made that I ended up getting this dress right on the first try, which is pretty amazing. It’s also a relief because I bought this fabric specifically to make a dress like this, so it’s always a gamble to go right into it.

When I bought the brown seersucker, I knew I wanted to make a dress with it – something good for summer and fall workdays. This was before I knew I would be working 90% from home, but I was still determined to see this vision through. I wanted to fully line the dress because the fabric, being that crinkly texture, would not be the best against the skin. For some reason, I thought this pattern was going to be perfect because it was a lined dress. When I finally got started on it, I realized it was not lined at all. I decided to put a lining in anyways, which skipped any need for a facing. I made another dress with the cotton lining and then sewed it in at the neck. I slip-stitched the lining to the invisible zipper in the back and used the bias tape on the arm holes as directed in the pattern, which held everything in place.

The result looks great and I think it’s one of my better made dresses for sure. Even the fit came out great – I was real lucky with this one. I even found the perfect buttons to go with the style I was looking for.

After I finished this, I thought to myself, “hey maybe I’m getting pretty good at this sewing thing!” I should have known my luck would eventually end. I’ve had so many hits lately, it was about time for a miss – well I’ll save that for another day. In the meantime, I will bask in the glory of fall-colored seersucker and a slight a-line shape. It’s enough to (almost) get me back to the office!

Fall Fashion 2022: The Tank

On By qplourdeIn Sewing Projects, Uncategorized1 Comment

Pattern: Itch to Stitch Lago Tank

Sometimes, I like to check out future fashion trends to see if I can stay ahead in my clothing makes. I usually get a few ideas of what might be “hot” for next season and then I promptly run out of time to do anything. But this time, I hit the jackpot. I was looking up a few sources for what’s trending this fall and something caught my eye among the bizarre runway contraptions they call outfits – white tank tops. Apparently this is one of the looks that is in-style for this fall. Now this was something that I could actually accomplish before the summer ended.

I wanted to make a basic ribbed white tank top. I searched a bunch of patterns (and there are a lot that are free for this type of thing) and settled on the Lago tank from Itch to Stitch. This was a free pattern that I already had in my stash and had the look I wanted – neck bands and arm bands, with a slight racerback-like style in the back.

It could be a bit more fitted I guess, but all in all, it’s very comfortable. I decided to go with the double stitched seam for the hem, using a twin stretch needle. I made sure to put some interfacing along the hem so that the stitches didn’t create a tunnel effect. I increased the tension a bit as well.

Now I can say I made something for upcoming season. Some of these fashion sites also happened to mention bomber jackets might be making a comeback, so this is another goal to make one of these for the fall as well. I have an idea of what I want it to look like, but still need to get the main fabric for it.

I don’t think I could pass this off as one of those tanks that are selling for over $100, but hey it fits! What other fashion trends for this year are people planning to make?