Well, What to Work on Now?

March in Boston is such a cruel month. The first whiff of spring arrives. You start to feel lighter and happier, then - bam! Winter sneaks up behind you and smacks you in the head with a 2X4 just to keep you from getting complacent.  And there you have the forecast for the Boston area this week. Maybe I'll take the dog for a long walk tonight before the weather changes.

That leaves me in a quandary about what to sew next. I'm still finishing the Chanel jacket. That's all down to the hand stitching and trim now. I'm working on it in the evenings, but there isn't much to show or blog about until it's ready to be trimmed.

So now the question is, "What to work on next?" I'm thinking about either a dress or a shirt. I was inspired by Erica B's White Shirt. I have this McCalls 6035 pattern that I think would look really cute:

I like the tab sleeves for spring. I have some cute striped shirting that has been aging in my stash for a while. I think I'll use that. It's orange and white - orange seems to be my color for transition/spring this year. Well, that gives me a hobby. I think I'll start on the muslin after dinner.

Happy sewing!

Pink!

I got my Weekend Wig today! There's something about pink bobbed wigs that I have always loved. Now I have a reason to have one, so I jumped on it! I got this from Wigs.com. NAYY, I'm just really happy with them and it. I could see getting a whole wardrobe! It's all about the accessories. Dolly Parton and Racquel Welch may be on to something.

The only problem of course, is that all my makeup is geared towards being a redhead. So I need to head to MAC to buy some lipstick (I'm thinking the Lady Gaga Viva Glam) and blush. Fabulosity must be served, n'est-ce pas?

Happy sewing! I'll be heading back into the sewing room this weekend myself.

3/7/10 - I did go and get my makeup done to match better. You would not believe the surreptitious looks and out and out stares people give you when you walk through the mall with pink hair. I had the big sunglasses and full strut on as I did, so I'm sure people were wondering who the hell I was. :) I told the folks at MAC about the wig and its whyfors and they were all totally into it! They told me to come back with the blond wig and they'd show me how to tweak what I got with the pink to make it more neutral.

I had dinner at BFF Barb's last night and she snapped a pic with the phone.

Cancer, Chemo and What I Wore Part 2

 Fabulosity abounds, even during tough times...

Today was my second treatment. The leadup to it was nowhere near as excruciating as the first one. I knew what to expect. I still slept pretty poorly last night and I'm paying the price, but it'll be okay.

But before I tell you about that, let me tell you about the wig buying experience I had this week! My hair started falling out two weeks to the day after my first treatment. That's pretty much the norm. It wasn't so bad the first day, it got a little more the second day, and by Saturday, the night of DH's gig at Foxwoods, it was really bad. I had to be very careful styling it to make sure I didn't pull it out. I had told DH that I would be happy to shave it off after Saturday, but I wanted to still have it that night. It lasted, no problem.

By Monday, I felt like Charlie Brown's Christmas Tree

Thank you, Charles Shulz!

Everywhere I went, I left a trail. You wouldn't lose me in a forest. By Tuesday I had had enough. The hospital recommended someone who works closely with them. I scoped out wig styles online with Phyllis' help and picked out a few styles to show her. My friend Lisa, who is a hair stylist, came with me for support and advice. When the lady came out, I watched her size me up, in a couple of different ways, and I got a bad impression. She had me sit down in the chair. My hair was wrapped in a scarf, so she said, "Let's see what we've got to work with." I took off the scarf, dropping needles, er, hair all over as I did. She did a quick look.

"Okay, you've got your hair still so we'll match the color to it."

"No - I want to change it up. This is too dark. I want lighter. I was even thinking strawberry blonde."

"Oh no. You're not going strawberry blonde."

I looked at Lisa; Lisa looked at me and the communication was obvious. This was going to be trouble. The wig lady pulled out a wig and put it on me.

"This is perfect for you. The color, the cut, everything."

Now, I was not about to just say yes to the first wig I saw. I wanted to try on every style and every color and see what suited me. I'll just say, she wasn't really wild about that. And I had Lisa take pictures with my phone so we could send them to Emmett for his BFAM approval. Here are the rejects first:

Ann tries out for Bravo's new show "Real Housewives of Lexington, MA"

Wig lady was all, "That looks great on you."
I was all, "No, it just isn't fabulous enough."
Lisa was laughing

This was the next one she put on me:

Clearly the look on my face is "You have GOT to be kidding." Emmett called me immediately and said, "Ann, you look like you just got f*cked in a hayloft. NO."
I couldn't get it off fast enough.

I tried on wig after wig after wig. Nothing suited. Wig lady was getting agitated and I was getting snarkier by the moment at her. Not a good combination. Finally she pulled out the first wig I tried on:

Much better, and close to my pre-cancerous hair.

Then she pulled out this one, which I think could be totally fun!

Wigs.com has it in stock, so I think I'll order it from them. Keep DH guessing who he's coming home to, you know?

Okay, so back to What I Wore
As I mentioned, today was round 2 of 4. I'm halfway done, babies!!!! Once again it wasn't bad, but this one really wore me out. I was exhausted when I got home.

Barbara, my hairstylist, trimmed and styled my wig so it's much much better. I wore full-on makeup, which, as a silver lining, is much easier to apply when you are bald. Do a perfect job, pop on the wig, style with your fingers and you are ready to go! I wore my Orange Vogue Dress. Note that the bracelet length sleeves are the perfect length for IV sticks. I put a lot of thought into that, babies! And check this out. I bought myself an absolutely fabulous pair of Giuseppe Zanotti shoes from Rue La La.

Fierce times call for Fierce Shoes. And these are surprisingly comfortable. There's lots of room in the toe box, and the heels, while 3 1/2 inches, are mitigated by a hidden 1/2 inch platform. Love. Them! Here's a picture of the whole schmeer, taken by DH when he came to join me for lunch.

Yep, I sit at chemo and enter orders and fabrics. How mundane, eh? But at least I looked good! All the nurses and staff were coming in to see what I was wearing and they all wanted to steal my shoes. My oncologist wants me to make her my dress, but in black. Even the patients were saying nice things about the way I was dressed! If you have to go through something sucky like this, at least do it with style.

Parting Shot: One Last Pic of the Ladies

The ladies sent Larry a picture of all of them together in the Green Room before the show. I think they all look fab!

Pictures from the Show

Last night was the finals in the Be the Wonder contest. DH's band didn't win, even though they were one of the best groups there. Honestly though? The best group IMO was a 10-man a capella group called Red Line. They were truly amazing. They had the entire audience on their feet. The winner was a boy band from Nashville that does a Queen style. They were not terrible, but they honestly shouldn't have won. And I'm not saying that in any bitter way. There was a solid 3 seconds of cricket-chirping silence in the audience when they announced the winner. Then the applause was tepid. But hey, good for them! I think Foxwoods is trying to attract a 20-something demographic. OMG, speaking of the demographic, it was horrifying walking around the casino. I'm not a gambler at all, so the charms of most casinos are lost on me. And I can't drink any alcohol until at least May, so I got to witness the splendors of Foxwoods in the cold harsh light of sobriety. There's a great line in Hunter Thompson's book Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas that says "Las Vegas loves nothing more than a drunk." I can see why! I sent Phyllis an email suggesting she do a Fashion Tribes at the Casino post.

Anyway, enough of my snarky commentary - let's see pictures from the show! I know there are fitting issues with some of the tops, so let's just get that out of the way first. I'll tweak them when I have time to spend with the ladies. It was a rush job, ya know? And I still think they looked pretty good. So here you go:

 Your Host for the Evening - Guy Smiley!

Booty Up!

Horn Section - DH is Rockin' the Bari

Julia and Kit

 

Maureen

N

Nancy

And the Winner is...

All the bands did a great job. And I'm so proud of Booty Vortex - they played great! Now I hope I can finally finish up the Chanel jacket...

Happy sewing!

And the Final Top is Done!

Woo hoo! The final top is done. This is for Kit, who wanted something with an open neck, sleeves and ruching. I was going to use Simplicity 4076, but the truth is, I don't really like the drafting on that pattern. The shoulders run huge. So I took a look through my BWOF collection and found this top in the June 2008 issue. It's got everything she wanted, and it's really easy! I started tracing the pattern off at 5:30. I finished the top at about 7:15. I really like this one. I may make it for myself. But not in silver holograph knit.

So all the tops are done. The gig is tomorrow night. I'll be down cheering Booty Vortex on. And please, don't forget to text a vote for them!

In other news, it's shedding season, and I don't mean the dog. I'm thinking a wardrobe. What do you think of me as a strawberry blonde? I'm kind of sick of the dark hair. Or maybe an Anna Wintour bob! No matter what, I'm getting a bright pink wig too!

Happy sewing!

Three Down, One to Go

This is for Maureen, the percussionist. Because she's constantly whacking something, she doesn't like anything on her arms, so I made her a halter top. This is based on Vogue 8095. I want to see it on her. I may want to raise the halter just a bit to make it look better. I think I'll bring my sewing machine with me Saturday.

One more to go. I'm going to make a bell sleeved surplice top from Simplicity 4076. That should be all done tomorrow, then they'll be ready for Foxwoods!

Happy sewing!

A Quick Update on the Tops

I haven't had time for much today, for obvious reasons, but I wanted to post the progress on the ladies' tops for the "Be the Wonder" contest at Foxwoods. I managed to make two of the four tops. I'll review them later. Both of them are based on patterns from Burda World of Fashion. First up is Julia's top. Hers is a bandeau style halter. I didn't get a picture on Shelley before DH took it with him to rehearsal last night. But he snapped a quick picture on her.

I also finished Nancy's top. She plays tenor sax and wanted something with a v-neck and cap sleeves. So I modified a raglan sleeve top.

Two down, two more to go...

Happy sewing!

I Can't Believe I Haven't Posted This Here Yet!

Holy crap! I forgot to tell you all - today only is our HUGE 3rd anniversary sale! Every fabric (except muslin) is on sale at Gorgeous Fabrics for 24% off! But only today, so don't wait!

Can you believe it's been three years? It seems like only yesterday I started off with that really cool basketweave fabric!

Anyway, thank you all for everything, and
Click here to shop the sale!

Now I gotta run back and cut...

Happy sewing!

Peeps Alert - Big One!!!

Facebook Peeps know what to do. If you aren't a FB Peep, just click on the link at the top right over here to join up and see what is going on!

Happy sewing!

Next Up - Booty Call!

DH's band, Booty Vortex, is one of ten bands who made the finals of the "Be the Wonder" contest at Foxwoods Resort and Casino. Next weekend, they will perform the theme song, and hopefully they'll win the gig to be the new voice of Foxwoods! Check out their site and text your votes in next Saturday, please!

Booty Vortex is a 12-piece disco/funk band. The ladies in the band, Kit, Julia, Maureen and Nancy, wanted to have a unified look, so I'm going to make them all tops. The tops will be different styles, but made from the same white/silver holographic fabric. I'll post updates as each style is completed.

In the meantime, tonight was my BFF's birthday dinner, so I broke out my new dress for the occasion.

Not too shabby.
Happy sewing!

Pattern Review - Vogue 8593

Pattern Description: From Vogue Pattern's website - Fitted, tapered dresses A, B, C, mid-knee length, have pleated front neckline and darted back with zipper. A: sleeveless, finished with purchased bias tape. B: below elbow length sleeve. C: full length sleeve. I made View B.

Sizing: 6-20. I made a 14, but used a 12 at the shoulders.

Fabric Used: Fancy Italian RPL in Orange. I really love this fabric. You can't tell very well from the pictures, but it has a subtle texture to it. It also has about 25% stretch in the cross-grain, so it will work for this dress. It is probably a little heavier than Vogue intended, but I worked around that (see construction notes).

Needle/Notions Used: 22 inch invisible zipper. Stretch 75/11 needle.

Did it look like the photo or drawing when you got through? Yes

How were the instructions? Mostly okay, but squidbrained about one thing. I swear, Vogue cuts and pastes their instructions from files that were first written in the 1970s (and you have to understand that I love Vogue Patterns despite this). How else to explain the use of neckline facings on this design?? I groused to my friend Emmett about this earlier this week. No one in RTW uses facings like they do in commercial patterns. Why can't the pattern companies catch up? Grrr..... Anyway,

Construction Notes: The dress went together very easily. Please note that the "figure flattery chart" shows that this is a good design for hourglass and inverted triangle shapes. I'm an inverted triangle. I think if you have any hips at all, you need to do some serious fitting, even if you are using a jersey. This baby doesn't like hips. I had been forewarned about this, which is why I checked the pattern measurements against mine. If you have hips, you might want to consider morphing the neckline onto a different dress.

I did not, for once, need a FBA with this pattern. That was a lovely surprise that I discovered when I made the bodice muslin.

Any changes? As I mentioned, I decided against using the facing pattern pieces that came with the pattern. The reason is that the pleating at the neckline leads to lots of layers of fabric. Check this out:

It may be a little difficult to make out, but at the CF neckline, when the pleats are done there are 6 layers of fabric. Can you imagine sewing that to an interfaced facing, turning and folding? We're talking what, 14 layers? Hello Vogue? Can you see the steam pouring out of the hapless sew-er's ears who hasn't got a lot of experience? Even if you use a thin jersey (I don't recommend it with this pattern), that's more layers than any amount of understitching will hold down.

So what's a girl to do? I used a neckline binding. To do this, I basted along the seam allowance at the neckline. I cut a 1 1/2 inch bias strip of self fabric the length of my neckline opening plus 2 inches. I pinned this to the neckline edge, lining it up with the basting. I sewed it with a 1/4 inch seam. I trimmed the neckline seam allowance to match up to the edge of the binding.

 

I turned the binding over the neckline and attached it by stitching in the ditch. Here you can see the attached band before I trimmed it.

I like this finish because it minimizes bulk and still keeps a clean look to the neckline. I'll finish the top of the neckline with a hook and eye. But it turns out I am completely out of those for the first time ever in my sewing life.

Likes/Dislikes: I really love the form-fitting nature of this dress, and I adore the neckline detail (a direct nod to the dress Michelle Obama wore on her first visit to the White House). Other than the facings issue, I don't dislike anything about this. It's a very straightforward design that looks great on.

Would you do it again? Would you recommend it? I may do it again, and I do recommend it, with the fitting and neckline caveats.

Conclusion: I'm going to pair this with my Stuart Weitzman sand suede pumps and a fabulous scarf. I'm going to be so stylish at the clinic!

Here are pictures of the front and back on Shelley

Wow, that's bright!

Happy sewing!

Some Progress

Things have been going a little slower than I had hoped on the Vogue dress, thanks mostly to kids being on vacation and demanding to be entertained needing things to do. But I have made some progress. Here's the dress so far:

 It needs a neckline band (more on that in the review later) and it needs to be hemmed and pressed, so hopefully I'll finish it tomorrow or thereabouts. More later...

Happy sewing!

Elsewhere in Ann-Land

Can I just tell you how happy I am to get back to my sewing machine? I sewed up the muslin of the bodice for Vogue 8593. I started out with a size 12, rather than my usual size 14. I've found lately that Vogue has been running big through the shoulders on many of their newer designs. This is no exception. I sewed it straight from the pattern (just the bodice). I was right to start with a 12. It would be too big in a 14 at the shoulders. So I'll morph it out to a 14 below the arms and do a FBA. Here's a shot on Shelley:

 

It will need some work, but that's okay. I'll probably get a bunch done tomorrow on it. This pattern only requires 25% stretch on the cross grain, so rather than a knit, I'll use a stretch RPL. This muslin is made with leftover fabric from my son's ballroom dance pants.  Here's a picture of the back:

I really like the lines. I'm debating whether to make it with sleeves or sleeveless. I'll decide on that tomorrow. So far this is quite easy and goes together quickly. I think Linda had some issues with the fit of the bodice so I'll go check out her review on her blog.

Thank you to everyone for your wonderful words of support. It's been an interesting last few months, and it's not something that I'll talk too much about (though you may end up with wardrobe updates after each session!), but I wanted to let you know, and hopefully help some other people.

Parting Shot: Green Nails!

Every now and then I like to cut loose with my nail color and break away from my usual rotation of natural tones or reds. Yesterday, Christina put this really cool green on me (how un-Valentines, eh?). It's "Jade is the New Black" from OPI's new Hong Kong collection. On top of it, she put a coat of the sheer silver polish from the Christmas collection (sorry I can't remember the name). I wore it to our annual "Sick of Winter Party", which had its largest attendance in years. It's been a looong winter, and we aren't getting hit with as much as BW and Philly are. It was a blast and much needed!

Happy sewing!

Cancer, Chemo, and What I Wore

With all due apologies to Ilene Beckerman.

Yesterday I had my first chemo treatment. This all came as a bit of a surprise. The results from the surgery and pathology were great, but just as I was getting ready to set up for radiation, my oncologist called. It turns out there was a genetic marker that raised a red flag for her, so she wanted to send a sample out for more testing. The test took two weeks to get back. Thank god for my husband and his healthcare, which covered the test.  The test came back indicating that there is a double digit chance of distant recurrence in 10 years. Frankly, even small single digit percentages give me hives when you attach them to the words "distant recurrence", so I told her "Let's do it. I bought myself an Hermes scarf in case it came back that way." So there you are. I specifically asked to have the chemo late in the week so any feeling yucky would happen over the weekend. But that meant that I had to wait one more week.

Now, One More Week in cancer-land is one more week of worrying and sleepless nights. I watched my father die of cancer, and I saw my mother-in-law go through hell with chemotherapy for her metastatic breast cancer. I'm normally a very happy person (yes, with an undercurrent of smug snarkiness, but I rein in most of my nasty tendencies). But let me tell you - a total of three weeks waiting to get hooked up to an IV dripping poison into my veins? Hmmm, that sucked, big time. It also sapped my sewing mojo, thus helping to explain my woeful lack of progress on the Chanel Jacket. For Wednesday, the weather people were forecasting the second coming of Snowmaggedon, which threatened to postpone it further. I'll tell you, I have never had so many sleepless nights in my life.

Fortunately, the snowstorm failed to materialize in Boston and life went along as usual. I slept terribly the night before, and to say that I was a panic sandwich is a gross understatement. Heart racing, blood pressure about 20 points above normal (seriously), I walked into the room and got hooked up. And...
Nothing. No bad feeling, no pain, no nasty side effects. Just 6 hours of me working online, entering fabrics, answering customer emails and catching up on paperwork. That's it? My god, how far we've come from my childhood "Movie of the Week" horror show about how sick people are, and how far we've come since my father (18 years ago) and my mother-in-law (10 years ago) were going through this.

I realize that things may change. I have three more sessions to go. Hopefully that will be enough to blast the little bugger out of me for good. Hopefully I'll feel this way after each session. They warned me that I would probably not sleep well thanks to the steroids, but last night I slept like a log. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and keeping my spirits up.

So, What did I wear?
No pictures on me, sorry. I thought about it, but decided not to. I've found that the best way to face something Big and Scary is with utter fabulosity of dress. So I dug through my closet and came up with this:

 

What is better at battling Big and Scary things than Scooby Doo and Thelma (IMO the unsung heroine of the Scooby Gang), so I picked out my "We've Got Some Work to Do Now" tee (available from Threadless - NAYY, I just LOVE my shirt). With that I wore a belt I got last summer and my Rich and Skinny Jeans (a girl can dream, right?). Last, but not least, I wore my ponyskin mules. I'll tell you, I was the fashion hit at the clinic. All the nurses were coming over to see the shirt and mules. I think I set the bar. Forget about cancer, now I'll be stressing out for the next three weeks over my wardrobe choice for the next session.

While I was sitting there entering orders, DH came in with a package that had arrived at home. It was a beautiful present from my dear friend Bill! He and his partner own the Farmhouse Store in Westfield, NJ, a beautiful little boite with all sorts of treasures. If you are in the area, you must stop in! Anyway, Bill sent me this wonderful ring to cheer me up:

Is that fabulous or what? Thank you Bill! The timing was impeccable and it was a huge hit with all the nurses! And yes, every girl needs bling when she's feeling scared.

For makeup, I went full-on warpaint. All of it: foundation, blush, full eye makeup with liner (inner and outer lids), tons of mascara and lipstick. If I'm going to kick this thing's ass I'm going to look good doing it. I took extra time styling my hair too. Might as well while I still have a full head of it, right?

So why am I telling you all this? I assure you, I'm not looking for sympathy. Far from it. I'm telling you this in case someone who reads this is, or ends up, going through what I have been for the last two months. Getting a diagnosis of breast cancer will scare the crap out of anyone. They tell you, and then you wait, and while you wait your imagination, if it's like mine, starts dreaming up all sorts of unpleasant scenarios. That leads to sleepless nights, anxiety and lots of tears. But the reality is nowhere near as bad as anything I could come up with. The only side effects I've noticed are the occasional warm flush (not hot flash, warm flush) feeling, and when I had a cup of coffee this morning I ended up running around like a chipmunk on speed. Other than that, knock on wood, it hasn't been that bad. I was tempted to go to the gym today but I took Hoover on a nice walk instead. Tomorrow I'll hit the gym. While it is my most fervent prayer that you never go through this yourself, if I can do it, anyone can.

So please, stay well, be healthy, if you are a woman over 40, get your annual mammogram. It could save your life. 

Oh, and I got my sewing mojo back! I'm going to do a muslin of the bodice of my Vogue dress tomorrow and hopefully get the dress sewn up to wear to my next chemo session. I'm thinking I'll wear it with my Stuart Weitzman Sand Suede pumps. That will truly be an outfit to kick cancerous ass!

Happy sewing!

Yay Saints!!

Okay, I don't normally root for other teams than the Patriots, but who could not root for New Orleans? I think even Archie Manning had to root for his old team.

The Saints? They came marching in! Good for them and I hope my boys the Pats get to meet up wtih them soon. New Orleans? Love you and I am so glad you won.

Vintage Tray

How utterly fabulous/tacky is this? Just in time for Superbowl Sunday (yawn, go Saints!), my DFIL sent us this serving tray. DH remembers it from his childhood days, so it's 70s vintage. To me, this is screaming for Chex Mix. Gigi and Phyllis suggested Knorr's onion dip and Bugles. Oh man, I can feel my blood pressure rising and my arteries hardening already.

Happy munching!

Three! - And 25

I've been a real slacker about blogging lately. But it's because I've been really busy. I've been on a buying trip this week. I'll be posting the fruits of that over the next couple of days. In the meantime, are you sick to death of seeing fabulous fabrics from that couture house on the rue Cambon? Oh well, too bad! Because guess what? I got not one, not two, but three beautiful fabrics from that couture house on the rue Cambon!!! Here, for your viewing pleasure (and feel free to click on the links beneath each picture if you want to do more than just look!), are three new belles tissues!

 Afternoon at the Tour Eiffel Bouclé - Pink/Coral/Ivory

 

Tea at the Paris Ritz Bouclé - Chartreuse/Gold/Ivory

Paris in the Evening Novelty Bouclé - Black/Navy

Sorry for the less than usual quality of the photos. I took the pictures from my phone. But these fabrics are totally GORGE! (Is that French?)

The other news is that the test came back. The number is 25. Sigh...

Well, you know what they say, when the going gets tough, the tough get sewing! So I think I'll spend this weekend doing exactly that. I should have the bulk of my jacket completed. I picked up some chain while I was on my trip, so I'll apply that. I need to figure out what to do for trim, but I have time for that. OMG, and I have to show you one more fabric (it isn't Parisian, but it is totally fabulous): Fancy Italian RPL in bright orange! I fell so in love with this that I took 3 yards to make into this Vogue dress:

Isn't that just totally Michelle Obama??? I love it, and I'm going to make that as soon as I can!

I want to sign off with a big shout out to Carolyn of Diary of a Sewing Fanatic. We had dinner last night. Carolyn is one of the dearest women around. She's funny, smart, sassy and the best dinner companion and friend you could ever wish for! Her blog is a must-read. Carolyn sweetie, it was wonderful to see you! Let's do it again soon - say in 12 weeks or so?

Parting Shot: Two Redheads

 

Sorry it's blurry, but the fabulous Laura Bennett and I got together in New York this week. You know she has a book coming out? It's going to be funny and fabulous - definitely a must read! 

That's all for now. Stay well and happy sewing!

Another Coco Boucle

Strolling Down the rue Cambon Bouclé - Black

OMG kittens, look at this! This gorgeous bouclé from the atelier of the Kaiser is so beautiful, so classic, and so classy that you will have a jacket or skirt from this for-evah (in Bostonian parlance)! This won't last. I put it up with little fanfare last night and already it's selling out, so don't miss it. 

And to those who say, "I'll wait on fabrics like this until I'm better at sewing"? Fear Not the Fabric!

Another Bouclé from the Same Couturier!!!

How gorgeous is this fantastic houndstooth bouclé?

Oh Mademoiselle! Houndstooth Bouclé

I simply fell in love with this one! It's from the same Parisian atelier as the one I got last Friday. How fabulous is this bold houndstooth! I only have 17 yards left (it's already selling), so don't miss it. The last one didn't even last the night! Click on the link below the picture to go straight to the fabric.

Happy sewing!

Pattern Review - Kwik Sew 3115 Yoga Pants and Top

The subtitle for this post is "Playing with Large Prints". I've had this pattern in my stash for several years, but never got around to making it. But when I got the new batch of Swiss 4 way Nylon/Lycra knits, I decided to try it out.

Pattern Description: From Kwik Sew's Website, The Misses' Pants & Tops are designed for two-way stretch fabric with 75% stretch. We suggest cotton Lycra¨, nylon Lycra¨, rayon Lycra¨, or swimwear fabric.

Misses' pants and tops. The very close fitting pull-on pants have flared legs in two lengths and a wide waistband with narrow elastic. The View A camisole has a shelf bra lining and elastic at the top edge and shoulder straps. The View B top has a V-neckline and armholes finished with self fabric bindings.
I made View B - the V-neck top and cropped pants.

Sizing: XS-XL. I used a Small for the pants and a Medium for the top.

Fabric Used: Swiss 4-Way Stretch in Lemongrass for the pant legs and trim on the top. Panel Print Rayon Jersey in Turquoise/Brown/Yellow for the body of the top and the trim on the pants.

Needle/Notions Used: I used my serger for all the seams, so Stretch 75/11 needle. Other than that and Maxilock thread, not much!

Did it look like the photo or drawing when you got through? Yes

How were the instructions? I didn't use them, though I did glance at them. They are typical for Kwik Sew. In other words, very clear.

Construction Notes: The panel print I used for the top is a large-scale print. Working with prints like these can be tricky. Or maybe interesting is a better description. It gives you lots of leeway for creative layout. To really get a feel for the way it would look I traced the entire pattern piece - both sides. Kwik Sew's original pattern piecees are one half of the top front and back which are cut on the fold. That works just fine in a less complex print, but I wanted to see the way the entire piece would look. I tried laying it out in a few different ways. I knew I didn't want to center the large square in the middle of my front torso. So I tried laying it out with the panel band running down the center front.

Mmmm, no. I played with a couple of other layouts and finally decided to do a slightly offset one.

Because this fabric has generous stretch both in the lengthwise and the crosswise grains, I cut the back on the cross grain.

During the sewing process, I decided to do things a little differently from the way the pattern instructs. Kwik Sew's instructions have you sew the side seams and then attach the armhole bands. I decided to reverse that order. I attached the bands first:

Then I sewed the sides together.

Any changes? I used contrast bands for the top, made from the pants fabric. I used the borders of the panels from the top fabric as the waistband and hem treatments on the pants:

Likes/Dislikes: This pattern goes together in less than an hour. I like the style. The pants are brighter than I usually wear, but I can use sunny colors these days. I didn't dislike anything.

Would you do it again? Would you recommend it? Yes and yes. As I say, this goes together very quickly. I'd recommend it for anyone who has advanced beginner or higher skills. If you know your way around a serger, it's even faster to sew up.

Conclusion: A great exercise pattern. I'll get lots of use from this. I will probably make the longer pants in black and they'll be a staple in my workout wardrobe. Here are pictures of the front and back:

They call me mellow yellow... quite rightly!

The Chanel jacket is progressing nicely. I'll get around to setting in the sleeves later this week, then really, I will post pictures. It's just kind of boring to look at right now, you know?

Happy sewing!