Quick scarf making!

I picked up a piece of checked wool at the thrift store (marked at 1.5 yards though it's a bit more) the last time I was there -- it was on sale for $1.63 with the daily discount so how could I say no? It was really nice, and I was sure I could make something from it. 

When I got it home and held it up to myself, I realized that the check was much more square and boxy than I'd anticipated - close up it had a houndstooth vibe but in large view it's really just a mixed check. I wondered what I could do with it. I felt that the print was too blocky to really work as a skirt, and the weight was too stiff/dense for a top... 

As I was pondering my husband wandered by and said, that would make a nice scarf. Bing! The lights went on. This fabric really is perfect for a classy scarf to go with his dress coat. There is exactly 5 feet of length, perfect for a simple scarf, and it is 60" wide. So I cut it into half and half again to get basically a long quarter strip of 15"wide and 5' long. 

Then came the edge finishing. I wondered about what would be best, since there are no woven edges here! I looked up a few ideas, like this tutorial on Threads, and then just went ahead and tested a narrow hem all around. The tricky part was mitering the corners so there would be no lumps. 

You could also fringe the ends for a bit if you like that look, but because this one is trying to be a sleek dress scarf, and it's a bit short for fringe, I didn't go for that this time. 

I'm quite pleased with it. To wear it, it's best to fold it lengthwise and wrap around the neck. Sits smoothly and it's really warm! 

Leftover Letters to Infinity

After I cut my Mandy Boat Tee from my letter print fabric last week, I had a wide strip left over along the bottom. Plus a half width chunk that was left from the section where the sleeves were cut. I was able to join those two half strips and then use the two pieces together, so I wouldn't waste anything from this amazing fabric. 

I decided that because the leftover bits were so wide (around 8" deep) I'd make an infinity scarf. I can wear it with the original top, or to jazz up other outfits. I used the same procedure as my last set of infinity scarves way back in 2016. This is a super quick project to use up leftover knits, and I wear scarves a lot so it's perfect for me.

Also, I hate wasting fabric, especially when I really love it! Now I have just a couple of odd shaped scraps of a few inches left, much more satisfying :) 

This is also a great last-minute gift project, as it doesn't require a lot of fabric or precision sewing either. If you have bits of knit in your stash and are in need of a quick gift, give it a go. 

Black Floral Rayon, Take Two

I promised that I'd share the fate of the leftover piece of the gorgeous black floral rayon that I used for my recent Butterick 4948 and today's the day!

When I cut that dress out, I had to cut it on the cross-grain since the flowers bloomed horizontally along the length of the fabric. This meant that I had a 12" strip the full width of the fabric when I finished. It seemed obvious to fold it over and make a scarf, even if it was a little short -- very French, anyhow!

But I'd cut the skirt maxi length, and when I tried the dress on, the length and the print and my short height did not work together at all, so I cut 6" off the bottom of the skirt to bring it to knee length. So now I also had two 6" wide chunks of fabric left over as well. I cut both of them in half and stitched them together to make two shorter 12" blocks, and sewed those on  to the ends of my original long piece. The varying directions of the print didn't matter because the fabric was going to be all rolled up together anyhow in the end. And it made the scarf just long enough to wear with nice hanging tails.

The scarf went together smoothly, I turned it and hand stitched the opening and there you have it, a very soft, light and colourful spring/fall weight scarf. Or a decorative one to wear with an outfit. It feels heavenly against the neck, it is so unbelievably soft and smooth!

So what did I have left? A few oddly shaped large bits from cutting the dress. I got out my rotary cutter and mat and trimmed some one inch wide bias strips from each bit that was big enough and stitched those all together to make a long bias strip. This will be lovely to cover some seams in a future project.


So I used up almost all of this beautiful fabric in one way or another. You can stretch your sewing budget by first, trying to buy only the amount you are actually going to need for a project, or in those cases where you have excess, by using those bits for another project. There are many scrappy projects to be found online (scrunchies are apparently hot again), but I also like using mine for things like these ones -- or pocket bags -- or covered buttons -- or trims. It is earth-friendly and also budget-friendly!

Reuse, don't Chuck that Tee!

At my library we celebrated our local Trashion Week (leading up to Fashion Revolution Week) with a few workshops. I was lucky enough to be able to lead a session on upcycling t-shirts into scarves, alongside a friend and volunteer who is also a sewist.

This is a quick and easy idea for a workshop, whether it's at a library or just a crafternoon activity with friends (in that case you could also have refreshments. Just sayin.) We asked staff and a few family members for donations of any old tees they no longer wanted, and encouraged attendees to bring one if they had one they'd like to reuse. We ended up with plenty!

Then we found a few patterns online for variations of t-shirt scarves, printed off the instructions, and queued up the smartboard with some youtube tutorials in case we needed them (we did). We had a great time! Over the course of an hour and a half, we cut up old tees, made them into new and wearable fashions, and had a lot of fun together.

I chose to share a pattern which I've made a few times as a Christmas gift, this braided scarf, and we also found another semi-braided variety. One of the participants came with her own design as well -- isn't it gorgeous?

I got so excited by the possibilities that I rounded up a few more links of things to do with old t-shirts. Here are the ideas I shared at our workshop -- I hope some of them will catch your interest and give you a good way to use up old tees or even your leftover knit scraps (I know we all have a lot of those!)


12 Ways to Recycle Your T-Shirts

Recycle a T-Shirt

39 Ways to Reuse, Recycle & Rewear your Old T-Shirt

 

50 Recycled T-Shirt Craft Projects
 

Truly Biased about this Sutton Blouse!

I spent some time sewing this weekend, getting a few projects done...here's looking at you, PR Weekend red Eleonore pull-on jeans! But that's a discussion for later...

Today I want to talk about this True Bias Sutton blouse that I started and finished in the last couple of days, and immediately wore today after hemming it late last night.

I've had the Sutton Blouse pattern for a little while now -- I first began to covet it after the Sew Mama Sew Super Online Sewing Match revealed a whole bunch of inspirational versions. I traced my pdf pattern a few weeks back now, without noting the size I was tracing -- I didn't feel like getting the pdf pages out again tonight, so I'll just tell you that I think it was a size 12 or 14 that I chose, and I did grade out at the hips about an inch. This fits me very well.

The Sutton Blouse requires a drapey, fluid fabric, and it uses French seams for nearly all the finishing. It looks gorgeous inside and out. But for these reasons, it is noted as an intermediate level sewing project.

I was using a polyester faille (I think it's faille; I know it is poly) which I found at the thrift store a few weeks ago. When I saw it I immediately thought of this pattern and knew it was time to try it. And finally I got around to it this weekend. The fabric is perfect because it is very fluid indeed - it doesn't take to pinning and pressing all that well, and was a bit of a bear to sew, being so slidey-aroundy. But slow and sure always works, and I was lucky with it, as I said on twitter earlier:

Whew - tricky fabric & end of seam...bobbin thread ran out an inch AFTER the end, not before #luckyday #sewrelieved pic.twitter.com/w0MtmHo491

— Melanie K (@sewmelwyk) May 2, 2016

Anyhow, the pattern is fairly simple, with a front, a back and a yoke, along with a bias strip to finish the neckline. I did not have a large enough piece of fabric to fit the bias strip as shown in the pattern layout, so just cut 1" bias strips from the shorter bit left over after the main pieces were cut, stitched them together and finished the neckline with that strip. As the neckline is finished before sewing the front together, and trimmed after attaching, that process worked just fine.

After I'd cut all these, I had a long strip left over from the edge of the fabric, so just stitched the two layers together to make a scarf that I can wear with this blouse or separately. The little bit of fabric that was left over was also made into bias tape, so every bit of this fabric was used!

As everyone who has made this has mentioned, the finishing details are marvellous. French seams  - which I used for the first time making this project, and now love; very clear instructions with illustrated steps, with a nice finishing step for the uneven front and back & side slit. It went together logically and really effectively. The only real changes I made were to lengthen the front by 1/2" and to shorten the back by 1/2" plus deepen the back hem slightly -- it was too long for my frame at first and made me look a bit oddly proportioned, but just taking up that inch at the back made all the difference.

Love that back yoke pleat

I also added in some black trim from my stash into the front yoke seams. I thought it would break up the pattern a bit, both to give the eye a focus point, and to mitigate any wobbly pattern match across that seam.

Here's the full shape of it on me, with black trim effect

And I wore it today, and loved it. It is comfortable to wear, but also feels dressier than a tunic or tee. It was perfect for work, as not only did I feel dressed up enough but the neckline (which I didn't change at all) does not gape and is plenty low enough for my tastes. Many others have lowered the neckline, but I usually end up shortening between shoulder and bust on many patterns, so it works just fine for me.

This is a wonderful pattern - I can see making a handful more to have in every colour! I really like the fit and the relaxed yet dressy style. I like it with the scarf added and I like it by itself. I'm now biased in favour of a wardrobe of True Bias Suttons.

Ladybug Infinity Scarf: A Tutorial & A Giveaway

I made myself an infinity scarf before Christmas, so that I could use a super cute fabric I'd found. When I shared it, Beth in AL asked if I could share how I'd made it. Even though there are tons of methods for infinity scarves online, here is a tutorial on how I made mine. The fabric I used is a thin but fairly non-stretchy knit, which isn't very soft or drapey. If you used a finer, soft knit it wouldn't have so much body but it would be squishier. So pick what you like best!

Start with a piece of 60" wide fabric, cut to 18". You don't have to be precise, just try to get it around 18" and cut as straight as possible but don't get frantic about it. This project works with the freehand style that I like to follow with quick projects!

Trim off any unsightly selvedge edges.

Fold the entire width right sides together, and stitch along the long edge, leaving both short edges open. You can use a zigzag stitch or a straight stitch, or a serger if you have one, for neatness.

I sewed my seam at about 1/2 inch. I didn't bother with pins, as my fabric was stable and was easy to hold together at the seamline evenly. If yours is slippery or stretchier, you might want to put in a few pins to keep it from getting too uneven as you sew.

Because I was cutting and trimming the original piece pretty casually, when I got the long ends sewn, the short edges were uneven. No problem, just trim them so they're nice and straight.

At this point you can press the seam if you like; it makes it sit nicely. I didn't bother finishing my seams because a)knit, so no unravelling and b) it'll be on the inside.

Now you'll turn the tube right side out. Look at the ends -- you could sew them together by folding one edge under and tucking the loose edge inside and sewing straight across -- but I don't like that method as it anchors both sides of the the seam flat. I like my infinity scarf to be a fully open ring of fabric that can fluff up properly.

You could also sew the ends together with the seams lined up...

...but to give the scarf that little bit of extra oomph, I like to twist the ends and sew the seams opposite to one another; that gives the scarf a little bit of lift when you wear it, with a twist built in.

So, take one end at the point opposite the seam.

Place it right sides together against the seam on the other end. You might want to pin this spot for starters. I don't like to use pins while sewing this part though, as the seam gets pretty twisty and pins just aren't that useful. Use your fingers to hold and direct the fabric instead.

This is the confusing part. The ends will be sewn in the round, and it feels pretty odd. Just start your seam a little above your pinned mark, as it's easier in the end to handstitch the remaining opening closed if you don't have extra seam allowances to worry about as well.

I sew this seam at about 1/4". The key thing to remember is to just keep sewing, and to make sure that you only have 2 layers of fabric under your needle. Don't get the other side of the fabric caught up as you keep turning your scarf ends.

Sew slowly for as far as you can -- the closer you can get to your starting point, the less you'll have to handstitch closed at the end. Unless of course you like handsewing, in which case, don't worry about getting really close.

When you take it off the machine, it looks like a mess. You may be asking yourself "what am I looking at?"

But just carefully turn the seam and it pops right into place with the insides inside and the right side facing out. Then you have to close that small opening that remains.

 I've tried machine stitching close to the folded edges before, and it works but it doesn't look as neat as hand stitching. Depends what you want to do.

Anyhow, that's it. Then just put it on, give it a loop, and fluff up the fabric a bit. Perfection!

Special news:

To celebrate making another ladybug scarf for this tutorial, I'm going to give it away! If you're interested in wearing this loopy scarf, leave a comment here telling me why. This giveaway is open to anyone worldwide.

This is a short-term giveaway -- entries will be accepted until 5 pm EST on January 7th, 2016 (Christmas on the Julian calendar).  At which time I will draw a name from all the entries and give it away as a Ukrainian Christmas gift! Thank goodness I get to celebrate twice :) 

Worldwide entries will be accepted -- just make sure I have some way of getting in touch with you in case you win, whether it's already in your blog profile or left in a comment if it's not.
*****************

Sorry for the delay in posting the winner of this draw. I wanted to be sure of my supplies, so I could do this...

Since there were only four entries for this scarf, and I have another yard of ladybug fabric to use up, I get to do an Oprah -- YOU get a scarf, and YOU get a scarf, EVERYBODY gets a scarf!!

Seriously -- Anne, R Trittel, Annie, & Kim -- send me your mailing deets & I'll get your ladybugs flying away home as soon as I can :)

Pre-Christmas "Selfish" sewing

Lucky me -- I've finished all my Christmas prep and can get to some of my own projects again! Well, really I snuck this first one in while I was making gifts, but since it only took 15 minutes to make I didn't feel too guilty.

I found such a fun knit fabric on the remnant table at my local fabric store. But it was just a little too loud, a little too child-friendly, to make a dress from. So I decided to make a quick infinity scarf. I sewed it together, put it on, then realized that it looked very festive from a distance!

I've already worn it at least 3 times to work, and had comments on it each time. Some were about its festive colours, and then after a closer look, some of the comments came in the form of song. Thanks, coworkers, for the earworm...

Check out the irresistible detail in this fabric. You will see why I had to buy some.

At the ladybug's picnic!

The other thing I've been doing with my time -- that isn't sewing -- is cleaning up, or trying to clean up, my sewing area. That's my goal for the end of the year. You know you're an adult when you realize you are happy for upcoming holidays so that you'll have time to clean your basement...

But in more entertaining things, I've also picked up an embroidery project that I prepped in the summer. I've started on the flower garden and plan to make each kind of flower in a different kind of stitch. Most of the greenery will probably be in stem stitch with a bit of leaf stitch and/or satin stitch for accent. I couched the green thread for the words, although on second thought I should probably have left that for last. Oh well! This is a pattern that I both sketched and cobbled together using a couple of images from google and a nice font - since it's just for my own stitch practice I figured it would be okay to do so this time. This should take me a long way into the New Year!

What about you? Are you finished with your seasonal sewing for others and ready to get back to your own projects?