Category: patterns

It seems I continue to work in a rather roundabout fashion, working toward goals but not getting directly to the point.  

This past week I cataloged and organized sewing patterns.  It was admittedly something that needed to be done as they were in no particular order, which was proving difficult when searching either for a particular design or even for ideas.   The search for patterns was not what prompted this fit of organizational mania however, although perhaps it should have been, as I went out and bought a duplicate of a pattern I already owned simply because I could not find the original.  Now I have them both.  Silliness, silliness.  We must be kind to ourselves over our various sillinesses.

In fact, I started unpacking, sorting and cataloging patterns last weekend because I felt unsteady doing anything else.  I had been through another episode of atrial flutter and had an ablation last Friday.  On Saturday I was somewhat tired, and someone slow in terms of focus despite only having "light" anesthesia.  It seemed unwise to cut patterns, sew, or perhaps even man a hot iron — the potential for errors was too high.  The patterns were there, completely disorganized and apparently overflowing the allotted space, waiting to be unpacked and organized.  

It proved to be the perfect activity, not completely mindless, but not requiring attention either.  Sorting through the pattern stash filled my mind as I imagined the things I dreamed of making, remembered sewing projects and outfits of the past, and not least also indulged my penchant for organization orderliness, lists, and organization. 

I used Pinterest to catalog the patterns, primarily because of its visual orientation, but partly also because many patterns had already been uploaded, which made it easy to add them to my own boards.  By using Pinterest, I can sort patterns into categories and I have the option of putting one pattern in as many categories as makes sense to me.  Then the actual patterns can be filed in a very straight-forward and orderly fashion.

There were of course, too many patterns.  There may be some patterns I am not fully convinced I still want to make, but I am also not convinced that I am ready to give up on them either.  For example there are two dress patterns I bought because I wanted to knock off a particular dress, and each pattern offered some of the necessary components.  I don't remember exactly what effect I was going for, only that these patterns seemed like a good starting point.  Maybe I can work with that; perhaps I am no longer interested in the outcome.  I don't know yet.

There is also this collection of patterns.  I was entranced with them when I was at JoAnn fabrics with my mom early in the spring of 2021, before I knew I had breast cancer.  I knew I needed summer clothes, and thought they would be a good starting point, giving me some good, simple, options to kick off my summer sewing.  All of these garments would be suitable for a hot humid summer, and would give me clothing options while I worked on other fitting issues.  Then my plans changed and I didn't sew.  I still have the patterns.  For the most part I still like them and see their use.  One is questionable.   But I will never really know what I think until I sew them up.

There is also much apparent duplication in he pattern stash, in some categories more than others.  I am OK with that, although it is something I intend to address.  There is no rush because, once organized, all the patterns fit in the space I had allotted to them.  This was something of a happy surprise, made possible because I also found a use for five baskets I had purchased for another purpose, but found they did not work as well in that application as anticipated.  Win-Win.

That doesn't mean I don't intend to deal with duplicates.  Although I am basically attracted to sewing clothing because of my love of wearing clothes,  there is another side of my sewing life as well.  I am also subject to a certain nerdy, process-oriented, curiosity and a tendency toward comparison.  

I can't just say to myself "pick this tee pattern and work from there".  If I did so, I would always feel I had potentially missed out on something. I actually look forward to the process of comparison, of taking the six or so tee patterns I have, laying them out, comparing them, figuring what works and why.  This is the same reason I occasionally buy a pattern because of a single detail that fascinates me. It is the same instinct that makes me have sets of knitting needles in different materials despite the fact that I have one favorite — there are always instances where my favorite is not the best choice.  This is the same instinct that makes me want to take on, or at least be highly attracted to, projects where other knitters, sewers, cooks, etc had trouble making something work.  This is not because I think I can do it better, it is more a curiosity as to why something fails, what it takes to make it work, if possible, and what I can learn from the process.

I will need some basic tees and turtlenecks come fall.  I am not desperate, although it is possible I may be before I finish playing. I have some materials for experimentation and perhaps opportunities for learning.  I suppose life could be easier, but as I spent time the last week sorting through sewing patterns, I actually grew more excited by the possibilities for not making life easier.

There are some of us who just seem to be wired that way.

New patterns are up on the Vogue Patterns website!

As usual, there are quite a few things in my cart, which may, or may not end up coming home with me at the next sale.  There is nothing that I need right away, that can't wait until a sale rolls along.

I've selected two dresses, 

one jacket,

and one cardigan. I am particularly hopeful for the belted version of this cardigan following my recent success with the turquoise cozy.  And of course this one is long enough in the back as well.

I've also tossed in three tops although it is possible that at least one of them will not make the final cut.

Continuing right along.

 Vogue 1202.  It probably does not surprise you that I love this pattern.  It is so seriously "me" that I popped into my cart before I even looked at the line drawings and I have no regrets.  Actually, when it arrived and I noticed that it is two pieces, that was like an added bonus. I love the way the top is all covered up and almost nun-like in front while the back is open.  I am not sure about my opportunities to wear it that way without mesh or something.  I'm thinking about support here but I know G would be thinking that my back scar would show.  Actually the scar doesn't bother me; it is not like I've given up v-necks to hide the open-heart surgery scar on my chest either.  I'm proud of my scars; I probably wouldn't be here today but for the miracles of modern medicine they represent.  Should I want more coverage however, I do think there is room to play with this.  

 Speaking of covered up, I also ordered the Issey Miyake pattern, Vogue 1204. I love the fabulous seaming on this piece with the angled seam in the back and on the sleeves as well.  It is a lovely, long slim line and is something I would definitely wear.  
 My only pause was concerning the neckline, which looks too high and my first thought was "what jewelry would I wear with that", a question which is very near and dear to my heart.  But the more I think about it, the more I know I can work that out.

I purchased this pattern for the jacket and was not convinced I liked the skinny jeans.  In fact I'm not ready to make jeans at all yet, being perfectly content with some I have purchased, but I have purchased straight or skinny jeans and like the look when paired with the right pieces.  Somehow the ones I own don't feel as skinny  as these look on the model, but when I compared the measurements of the pattern to my own jeans they were the same. So should I make jeans, this pattern may be an option.  Perhaps not in suh a dramatic print however.  I love a dramatic printed skirt; pants are another thing altogether.

 Then I picked up a Marci Tilton pattern from earlier in the spring, Vogue  8637.  This choice was another one inspired by the Elm pieces I picked up in the spring, specifically the cut of the skirt reminds me of the interesting cut of the elm skirt.  But I would wear the pants as well I think.  I am learning (again) how nice straight soft pants that fall directly from the hip are on me, and how long and skinny they make me look and feel.  Although these pants aren't actually straight, I think they would give the same effect with a little bit of added interest.

 Vogue 8666 is a basic dress, a safe dress.  I know it will work style-wise and it is a good basic dress, that can probably play it more or less safe depending on the fabrication.  I may be attracted to more dramatic and unusual cuts and shapes, but I also appreciate the joy of having a few basic staples in the repetoire, and I am hoping this will become such a dress.

 Last, thought certainly not least, is the new Marci Tilton top pattern, Vogue 8671.   I am predominantly attracted to the views with the panels and long vertical seams, but I do also like view A, the one with the aysmmetrical neckline and seam.  That top, the asymmetrical one, would probably end up being the most versatile, and probably the view I would make again and again.  I suppose this is a nice treat for me, and a bit of a lesson in not forgetting what actually works and what is most wearable, versus what attracts the eye.  

A package arrived from Vogue Patterns over the weekend, and I just got around to opening it and cataloging and filing the patterns.  There was a sale last week, and I took the opportunity to order some of the new patterns and a couple of older ones I hadn't gotten around to previously.  There were quite a few patterns, so being my normal wordy self, I am going to have to break this up into two posts.  

 I'll start with the only non-Vogue in this order, McCalls 6165.  This is a pattern that I probably would not have purchased not that long ago, although it would have intrigued me even then.  I am not sure what my problem would have been as I am pretty sure there is a lot of potential here and it is a good look for me.  I've worn long sweaters and long a-line hand knits for some time.  

I think that wearing that Elm dress that I bought back in the spring has really helped lighten my spirit.  Those two pieces are the most frequently worn items in my closet right now and I think they are helping me to look at garments and how I might wear them with new eyes.  Anyway, I see lots of options for these tunics in all seasons, and I really want at least one NOW.  I might have to start pawing through my fabric collection.

 Next, a Sandra Betzina shirt, not from the newest set, but a pattern which has been drifting in and out of my consciousness since it did come out, Vogue 1165.  Recently I saw a photo of a friend wearing this top, and it reminded me of a shirt from Chico's that another friend had purchased in the spring, a shirt I am constantly admiring.  Somehow the similarity of the purchased shirt to the pattern didn't occur to me before.  The three-quarter sleeve version would be a summer staple.

 Next up is a new pattern, Vogue 1194, a dress by DKNY.  I love almost everything about this dress.  I love the gathers at the shoulders which allow for fullness toward the bust, I love the v-neckline and the empire line in front which is a very flattering look for me, especially with the curved waist seaming leading to a lower curved line at the back waist.  I can see this as a dress, slightly longer for me, or as a tunic at a slightly shorter length to wear with jeans.  In fact, given how much I adore wearing the aforementioned elm dress with leggings, this dress, in the right fabric might be fabulous with leggings as well.

 It seems that every time I order a bunch of patterns they seem to have a common theme except for one that sticks out and apparently has nothing in common with the others.  In this batch it is Vogue 1199 by Rebecca Taylor.  Although I love the skirt in this pattern, I did not buy it for the skirt.  I have lots of pencil skirt patterns and this is nothing new.  The blouse is what I wanted and that is why I say it seems incongruous compared to the rest of the set as this blouse is definitely soft, flirty, feminine, and ruffly, not words I would usually use to describe myself but definitely things I am attracted to at times.  I would wear it tucked in with a pencil skirt as shown on the model, perhaps with ankle boots, perhaps just with pumps.  I have long adored a statement blouse paired with otherwise very simple clothes and when the blouse is soft and romantic like this I like it best paired with a very structured skirt or pants.  Certainly if I were wearing it loose, which I well may, I would go for a contrast in texture and feel, probably pairing it with narrow jeans and a strong shoe.

 The fifth pattern, and my stopping point for today, is  Vogue 1201, a Donna Karan design.  I purchased this for the jacket with its large shawl collar and waistline seam creating a modified peplum effect.   Raglan sleeves are often problematic for me, but they are effectively hidden by the collar in this case so may prove to be no problem at all.

 I also do like the pants.  I love this slouchy style as it has been shown on the runway, and therefore like the pants in theory although I really have no idea how they will look on me since I have found nothing like them on my few forays into local stores.  Truthfully, I have doubts, and if I hadn't wanted the jacket I probably would not have bought the pattern just for the pants. But now that I have it, I may just have to play with creating a pair just for the fun of it.  The worst that can happen is I get a shock, a laugh, and a wadder.

As I scanned the patterns into my pattern library, I added a few more.  They are all from the vintage section.

 Stanwick caught my eye the first time I looked through the magazine,  But I really don't like the way it looks in the photo.  When I look at the diagrams though I see that it does indeed have the potential I originally envisioned. This design is knit in a dk weight yarn by On-Line, Linie 4, which is described in the magazine as wool and on Ravelry as cotton.  I am inclined to think it is a mistranslation in the magazine and the yarn is cotton.  But I would probably knit this in wool anyway.

 Then there is Harlow.  This pattern is for a cardigan and a skirt.  I like the cardigan.  Again, I can see potential here, although I am not completely sure I when I will ever knit or wear this.    This design is knit in Gedifra's Mayra, a worsted weight cotton/nylon yarn.

The skirt however, I adore.  When I look at the diagram I love it even more with its fabulous short-row shaping.    Although I may or may not use a similar cotton/nylon yarn if I knit the jacket, I believe you would need the nylon content in a skirt to help keep it from bagging and sagging.

 I also added the pattern called Lake, a lovely sweater.  Again this is one I was strongly drawn too and then put aside and came back too.  I realize, as I look at the pattern more closely, that my original doubts were due to the soft colors and the strongly vintage feel of the original. Although I am all for femininity, it seemed to soft and sweet.  But when I looked at the black and white photo, and the diagrams, I began to have more ideas as to how I would potentially knit this and use it, and began to form color ideas of my own in my head.  This was critical.

 There are also several nice crocheted sweaters in this issue.  It has been decades since I have crocheted a sweater,  and most of these are charming but not "me".  There is however, one I added to the file, although I have no immediate plans to make it.  Angelou is crocheted in a DK weight silk yarn by Junghans. 

All in all, it appears I am interested in 9 patterns from this issue, a very good number. 

My head has been filling with ideas that I cannot seem to manage to get written down, blogged, or organized.  It is not that life has been busier than usual or more stressful just that it has been full and scattered and there seems to be little time to finish anything much less start new projects although the ideas for new projects are like a torrent right now, a torrent I can't even keep up with.

In time I hope.

In the meantime my new Vogue patterns arrived last week, and I am just now managing to get them off my desk and filed away.

Did you see the new Hot Patterns Three Graces Tee?  I have been thinking about something along just these lines as I looked at the things in my closet and contemplated what I need to fill in a few empty corners,  and Voilá, pattern needs fulfilled.

Of course, I ordered it.  I am pretty certain that I have fabric to use making it up, but I am still working on colors/what I actually want — I've never been one to just make something without some sort of plan.

And speaking of planning that pretty much covers what I've been up to.  I had a stack of muslins that I have worked on in the last couple of years, a bunch of UFOs, and tons of plans that I have written about here or just jotted down in various notebooks.  It really is well past time I had some kind of coherent way to keep track of things.  But then, I really let a lot of stuff slide for a long time, and I just can't let it continue on in that chaotic state.  So I am gathering together and making right; working mostly in bits and pieces.  I have time to indulge in my various interests and creative endeavors, but it is more scattered time than before, and I am rather enjoying the slow togetherness right now, still working out balancing time together versus alone,  especially since G's initiative and ability to find ways to occupy himself will probably never be quite what it was.  

I did get time to file the patterns I ordered from Vogue.  It was a large order and it took me quite a while.  I hate to think that there previous orders stacked up on the side of my sewing room floor, waiting for me to file them.  

On Friday, the first day I had to work on it following a whirlwind visit from step-son Adam, I printed out all the catalog pages so I could put them in my pattern notebooks.  Even though this is so much easier now that I can just copy the pictures directly from Vogue's website, faster than scanning in patterns, and far faster than my pre-computerized days when I traced or sketched all the pattern drawings on onionskin paper that I kept in my planner, I was sick of it by the time I was done and the pages were filed in the notebooks.

So I really didn't make the pattern files until Saturday.  I had lots of help from Sam and Moisés, who were practicing an uneasy detente so that they could both be on my cutting table, sitting on the patterns and chasing bits of paper hither and thither while I tried to work.  You see the trimmings from the laminating sheets above right after Moises learned that he could slide on them.  I hoped he would be in the picture but unfortunately he slid right off the table just before I snapped the picture.  

That lovely stack of fabrics is still sitting on my cutting table waiting to be made, well except for the four fabrics that still need to be pressed.  I have been occupied with other things, like visiting with an old friend, and wiling away the hours in idle pursuits with my sweetie.  

The August Vogue and Bazaar magazines came on Friday, and of course, Vogue patterns went on sale as well, so I have also been occupying myself dreaming of fall. I know perfectly well that I haven't even started my summer sewing:  not the things I have thought about sewing this summer, plus the many collections of things that I have posted here and planned for previous summers.  Those things are all in my dreams, and plans. 

I haven't really thought about inspirations from the magazines yet, I am still just perusing them and thinking about possibilities.  This photo however really captured my attention, not because I particularly want to copy the coat (I don't) but because the shape and lines of the blanket portion of the coat caught my eye.  It reminded me of a piece of plaid mohair I have had in my stash for years.  I still adore the fabric, but my original plans seem so dated to me now, and I have not quite been able to figure out what to do with the fabric.  This photo reminded me to look at different shapes and cuts, and try to think about the fabric in a different way.  It may just be the kind of inspiration I need.

Somehow while thoughts of plaids were running around in the back of my head, my eyes fell on another piece of fabric which was sitting on the shelf.   I pulled it out last winter, wanting to make it up, but again, my original thoughts no longer seem right.  And then it occurred to me that instead of a suit jacket it could be a coat.  

Of course the first idea that popped into my head  was that I could use it for this fabulous Donna Karan coat pattern.  Of course it is not quite the same kind of fabric as the original.  As I think about it further I am thinking the fabric might be a little too heavy, or the pattern might be unsuitable.  I really have to think about it further, but I am thinking a coat or coat-like jacket might be the way to go.  The pattern is on its way to me anyway and I am sure I will eventually make it up, even if this doesn't work.  I had ordered the pattern before I thought of this particular fabric anyway. And its not like I don't have other coats in the works (oh please don't remind me). 

The new Anny Blatt book arrived. 

I am not knitting the lovely sweater, which is called Valadon, in the color shown which is a light silvery gray/light gray mix.  I am using this shade of Angora Super, which is called Celeste, and a lighter blue for the Victoria.   IRL the celeste is similar to the color shown here, but perhaps just a tad more blue. The Victoria is back-ordered but should be in before I am ready to start the sweater.

It will not be a fast project, the jacquard-like bodice is knit at 30 stitches to 10 cm.

I feel doubly lucky because Valadon is not the only sweater I am interested in knitting in this book.

There are at least two other sweaters that I find very compelling, including this one, called Kennedy with fabulous cables and i-cord lacing in Merinos and Victoria.

It seems that I every time I decide I dislike some knitting technique, I immediately fall in love with sweater after sweater that employs that technique.  I learned to love ribbing by knitting ribbed sweater after ribbed sweater.  I see that I shall learn to love i-cord as well.

On other fronts I am knitting but have made no progress on blocking or sewing together.  I collapse in my chair in a state of happy exhaustion each night and am thrilled to manage a little stockinette.

Which reminds me, I need to go count rows.