Late summer round up: Antrho knock-off, Carthamus shawl, M6744

While it feels like I get no. thing. done. all day long, my FO pictures tell me I've at least been plodding along in the sewing and knitting departments.  I really want to stick these up on the blog so I can move on to some WIPs.  I'm very chronological like that.  So first up:

Carthamus Shawl

This is the Carthamus shawl by Kirsten Kapur from Through the Loops designs.  The yarn is Louet Gems Fingering in aqua and linen grey.  I ran out of the linen with literally about 33 stitches left, and some kind knitter on ravelry sent me about ten yards so I could finish.  I love TTL's designs and I queued this the second it came out.  It's kind of a hybrid between shawl and scarf, and I think it will be perfect for the colder months. 

I love the construction.  You knit the thistle lace pattern first, then knit the garter stitch shawl on to it, knitting it together with the live stitches as you go.  I just love that method of slowly knitting on (or off, in this case) a border, watching your FO take shape as it slowly falls off the needles. 

With a shawl, the blocking is almost more important than the knitting.  In this shawl, you really need to pin out each YO in the edge of the lace.  In the above picture, you can see that I started pinning the center of each thistle flower, then I went back and pinned out each YO.  Without that extra work, the lace wouldn't shine like it should.  Blocking : knitting : : pressing : sewing. 

Kirsten usually hosts a summer shawl KAL, so you can see more of her amazing shawls in her Ravelry group here. 


McCalls 6744

This will be known as the summer of the knit dress.  This one was almost a wadder, but I stuck with it.  I should have listened to my instincts.  My instincts said that even though my measurements said I should make a large, experience with the ridiculous amounts of ease the Big 4 pattern companies put in their patterns told me I should make a medium.  So when they were on a crazy cheap sale, I bought both the medium pattern and the large pattern so I could make a hybrid, medium on top, large on bottom.

Ack!  I'm not wearing my beautiful chewbeads necklace!  Just imagine it there. 

When it came time to cut, though, I chickened out and went large all the way.  So when I put it on, it basically would have been a great swimsuit coverup.  The thing is, I wasn't wearing a swimsuit.  I didn't want to give up because the fabric is incredibly soft and drapey and in a really beautiful color of blue.  So I tacked down the bodice where the front cross, and that took care of the top portion.  Maybe the faux wrap of the skirt works if you're making a maxi version of this dress, but in the short version, it was just obscene.  The fronts only overlap by about 6", so it felt like it was just wide open.  I just stitched it down until about 8" from the hem. 

While not ideal, these fixes made the dress wearable, although a bit harder to nurse from, which was kind of the point.  I've worn it several times, dressed up with a belt and some baby-friendly accessories. 

Anthro knock-off

In those summer weeks when we were moving, it seemed like everyone (mad housewife, aleah, jennifer) was making these cute little mixed print tees, and I was so bummed my sewing machine was hidden behind boxes.  It took me all summer, but I finally made one of my own.

Many people used Skirt as Top's Scoop Neck Tee, but that was too small for me.  I spent 0.5 seconds wondering if I could figure out how to scale it up, and then found the Casual Lady tee from Go To Patterns.  I made a CL tee, but I was worried it would be too small, so I made a bigger size than I normally would.  (Do you sense a theme in my summer sewing?)  HUGE.  I still wear it, but again, it's kind of like wearing a swimsuit cover up.  I used my regular size for my anthro tee, and gave it more of an A-line shape after the bust. 

Hey!  Here are my chewbeads!

Here's my final anthro knock-off.  I'm pretty happy with it, although my husband doesn't 100% get it.  He said he likes the stripes. 

This pattern calls for a wide facing/lining, which might work well in a heavier fabric.  The white stripes in my fabric were a bit transparent, and I didn't want the navy stripes showing through from the wrong side, so I cut a neckband.  I really should have stretched the neckband a bit more because it gapes too much, but summer was waning and I just wanted to wear the thing already. 

I'd have to spend some more time playing around with the CL pattern to get the fit I want, but for now, I've moved on.  I'll return to it next spring for sure, because I think it could be a good wardrobe builder. 

***
Those are some of my favorite summer projects.  I have a slew of things I want to do this fall, but I'm trying to be a bit more realistic about what I can do.  It's a lot easier to find time to knit than it is to sew, but there are a few patterns I really want to make.  My first fall project, though, is a fair isle sweater for my daughter.  More on that to come!

FO: It's triplets! Renfrew triplets!

Along with many other expectant sewers, I used So Zo's maternity top tutorial to stitch up some great tops.  I used Sewaholic's Renfrew pattern because I love it and because it has a lot of variety to it.

I followed So Zo's tutorial exactly for the front, but I did extend the back length by 2 inches.  After my first top, I thought it was a bit long and so I reduced that to just 1 extra inch of length.  I was surprised that I didn't really need to add a lot of extra width to the pattern, just length.  (Extending the front length by five inches did actually yield about 1.5 extra inches in width because the pattern flares out toward the hip a bit more.  I'm not explaining that well, but trust me.)

The first version I made out of a so-so ITYish crepe jersey knit, not exactly what I wanted for the Renfrew pattern.  (I have the hardest time finding great knits!)  It ended up working really well, and it's a little dressier.  The cowl looks great on this top, and I think I'll definitely be making more of the cowl style post-baby.

Then I made a 3/4 sleeve scoop neck for a slightly more casual style.  I did give myself 2 extra inches in length on the sleeves.

Finally, I made up another long sleeved cowl neck in white.

It was getting really dark and stormy when we took these pictures.

The purple and white fabric are the same kind from Joanns.  They are super stretchy and prone to pilling.  Not the best fabric at all, but they don't have to last forever.

I love these shirts and the way they fit.  Even though none of the fabric choices are perfect, I've still been super comfortable in all of these, and I've had compliments especially on the white cowl. 

In non-maternity clothing news, I am making progress on the sewing and yarn room clean up!  I didn't realize how much I'd really have to weed out and get rid of.  I'm about halfway to a beautiful after picture!

FO: McCalls 6510

I hate trying on maternity clothes.  They fit poorly, they're made poorly, and they're not really me.  And who wants to wear things that fit poorly when you're semi-uncomfortable most of the time as it is?  I've only been to a maternity store once during this pregnancy, and that was enough.  I did try on this kaftan style top that I sort of liked, but it was too big in the chest and too small in the hips.  (Seriously?  Too small in the hips?  Pregnant women are supposed to have hips!)  It was $35, and I thought that I could certainly make it for less and get a much better fit.

Source

I found some beautiful charmeuse during Gorgeous Fabric's Cyber Monday sale for $8 a yard, and bought two yards.  I also discovered that I had McCalls 6510 in my pattern stash.

Although this style is close, it wasn't quite right.  And I obviously needed to make some maternity adjustments also.

I started with view A, and then modified it a lot:

• Changed the neckline to a v-neck, and narrowed it by about half an inch on each side.  
• Made the sides fall straight down from the shoulder, ending at a right angle at the hem, instead of curving in.  I altered the seam lines based on my measurements. (No tight hips here!)
• Added 4" in length.
• When I cut the front, I put the point of the v-neck on the fold, but then rotated the bottom of the pattern piece so it was about 3 inches away from the fold.  This way, it added more fabric in the front panel without changing the side seams.  It also made the front hem slightly curved in the middle, making the hemline appear straight, instead of arced by the baby bump. 
• Added a belt above the bump by inserting button holes above the seam lines. 

Basically, I just kept the shoulder seams.  And here's how it came out:

I love it!  I wore it on Christmas and New Years.  It was comfortable and festive.  It's a little different than my normal style, but still me.  It fits a thousand percent better than the cheap one in the store, and I feel proud for making something that fit me (for less money, too!). 

I'm happy with my improvements on the original shirt and with the way I modified a pattern to get what I want.  My husband is a little worried that I'm spending time making things that I'll only be able to wear for a couple of months, but I think the biggest benefit of making maternity clothes is the confidence it gives me to alter and modify patterns to fit me.  Plus, I can always modify maternity garments to fit me after baby, if I'm not sick of looking at them by then. 

FO: Sorbetto #2

 When it comes to knitting, I very rarely repeat patterns.  There are so many things I want to make, and once I'm finished with something, I want a new experience. 

With sewing, though, I can see myself repeating patterns over and over again.  Why is that?  Is it because it's harder for me to get the fit right with sewing, so there's a lot of value in working on something several times to get it right?  Is it because sewn garments are more common in my wardrobe than knitwear, which are usually unique pieces?  Who knows.  Don't over think it, Meredith. 

Anyway, I made another Sorbetto! 

My first was too tight through the bust, so I cut one size larger there, but kept the waist and hip the same.  So I did a 12 at the bust, grading out to a 14 at the waist and a 16 at the hip.  Do you think it fits better?  There are some faint wrinkles on the straps.  What's up with that?

I used a London Calling floral cotton lawn from fabric.com which I love love love.  From far away, it reads very light and pink, but up close, it's a little more vibrant. 

I think this will be a great summer and fall top.  I have some MerLin in that aqua color to make a Goodale cardigan.  I think I'll start that as soon as the Ravellenic Games are over.  I can't wait!

I wore this yesterday with a skirt I made but didn't blog, McCalls 5523. 

I'm sure I'll make another Sorbetto.  Next time, I'll work on fitting the back just a bit better.  Bra straps anyone?  Oh well. 

Next up: one last maxi dress for the summer!