A chevroned Hummingbird joins the flock (with dickey! and cuffs! and buttons!)

Yes, I have a peplum problem passion. This is my third Cake Patterns Hummingbird knit peplum top (after the polka dot one and the hummingbird colors one) so I guess it's now my official tried-and-true top.

Not much new to report. I cut the same bust size as before (the 35), but went with the elbow-length sleeves and the deeper neckline with dickey and bias cuffs. I basted the dickey in place carefully before topstitching it to the neckline binding.

I've always loved the look of knit tops with dickeys—they have all the comfort of a knit with a touch of the polish and crispness of a woven.

The chevroned knit fabric is a wonderful rayon/spandex jersey from Mood, and the woven fabric is a sheer black cotton swiss dot lawn from Fabric.com four years ago (but similar still available). The iridescent buttons are from M+J, leftover from a sweater. They are BEAUTIFUL but I could not get a decent photo of them.

Er, what's this? Why are there four button holes for two buttons, you ask? Well, either I am the WORST at buttonholes or my buttonhole sensor foot hates me, because this ALWAYS HAPPENS. And yes, I stabilized the area with plenty of interfacing and carefully marked the buttonhole placement and practiced on scrap fabric...

Moving on. I apparently also cannot photograph my own back properly, as this weird hunched-over blurry shot was the best I got.

Finally, I should note that this is actually another finished object formerly known as an unfinished object, almost the LAST one in the pile (and oh, it feels AMAZING to finally finish something and clear that mental space). I started her during the Hummingbird 30 Minutes a Day Sewalong last year, but then my sewing machine went beserk on the shoulder seam...

... and I got discouraged and abandoned the top.

Now I love it. I love it so much I even wore it out for Mother's Day before I attached the dickey: here I am with my daughter at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (my husband took us to the mind-blowingly AMAZING Charles James exhibit at the Costume Institute for Mother's Day and all three of us just LOVED it.):

Which is especially fitting, because Charles James' famous 4-leaf-clover skirt design was one of Steph's inspirations for the Hummingbird peplum's shape.

I like this version much better with the dickey, though—the scoop by itself was a little too deep to be decent workwear.

I think the best part about finishing UFOs is that they feel like they were sent to me in a time machine by Mikhaela from the Past. I often find that cutting fabric is the hardest and most annoying part of the whole process, so it's awesome to just be able to open a bag of neatly cut and marked and notched fabric pieces all ready to sew—like someone else did all the work!

How's your Me Made May going?

Inspiration: Pretty, Pretty Peplums!

"Pretty Pretty Peplums" inspiration featuring a Modcloth striped dress and top and a Stop Staring dress

With the Cake Patterns Hummingbird Sew-Along humming along on day 2, it's time to cut my third Hummingbird top, and I was on the hunt for a little inspiration on what I might do differently this round. Man do I love a peplum...

You might guess I was leaning towards a dress version... maybe with stripes...

And I was. Until I remembered that my daughter's third birthday party is this weekend and I only have two actual sewing evenings before both my parents and my husband's mother and young cousin come to stay in our little apartment for several days...

So I think another top it is—probably View Blue, which has a deep wide neck, with a woven dickey and cuffs. (A little step towards making my first button-down shirt, but way less commitment!). Here's Steph's version for an example.

I'm doing mine in a nice chevron jersey from my recent trip to Mood:

And the dickey and cuffs in some scraps of sheerish black Swiss dot lawn from the Stash that Must Be Busted, left over from my self-drafted reversible shirred skirt:

I hope sheerness won't be an issue here... we shall see!

P.S. On another note, this just made my day. I have a bad case of laryngitis and have been very cranky about not being able to talk properly. I got home today and my husband had washed a recent fabric purchase (sorry, can't tell you what it's for! sssssssh!) and put it on my sewing cabinet with this little note:

So are you pro or anti-peplum?

DONE: Short striped & piped Hummingbird skirt (Cake Patterns #0289)

Until I made this skirt, I hadn't inserted an invisible zipper in EIGHT years. It's probably been just as long since I wore short skirts regularly, too—I got into a rut in 2005 when I decided all skirts MUST BE KNEE LENGTH.

But that is old news now because I LOVE my new Hummingbird Orange denim skirt AND I inserted the invisible zipper with no issues on the first try with help from a little video tutorial linked in the pattern.

But screw zippers. What I really love about this skirt is the fit. Which is, well, PERFECT.

And now that I have a perfect fitting woven skirt, it just emphasizes how ill-fitting most of my RTW woven skirts are—gaping at the back waist, droopy in the rear.

In fact, while wearing my Hummingbird peplum tops (and now the skirt) I've had a number of people spontaneously ask me "Did you lose weight?"

While the body image warrior in me wants to be cranky and ask why that should be a compliment, I do think it points to the perks of wearing well-fitting, flattering clothing. (And no, I haven't lost weight—in fact I've gained quite a bit thanks to oral steroids I had to take while I was ill. But thank you anyway.)

I also love:

• The smartphone-sized panel pockets, just right for my so-old-it-can't-run-any-apps first generation Apple iPod Touch. Of course I lined my Hummingbird Orange pockets in, well orange:
  
• My striped piped seams (try saying that five times fast)—they look like a dotted line! Yes I should have made them more even and no, I don't care. I cut 1 1/2" wide strips, pressed them in half, and basted them to one edge of the fabric (raw edges to raw edge) before stitching the seams:
  

Anyway, on to the juicy details:

The pattern: Cake Patterns Hummingbird Peplum Top and Straight Skirt 0289. (Disclosure: I draw illustrations and flats for Cake, but I don't get paid to sew, blog or otherwise promote Cake!)

Pattern Description: Hummingbird view "Orange" woven skirt with no gape panel pockets sized for smartphones, back zipper and simple straight waistband. Optional back flounce, aka Hummingbird "Pink". (There's also a knit top with sleeve and neckline variations and optional dickey and cuffs which I have made twice already.)

Pattern Sizing: Full hip sizes ranging from 35"-57", with waist size cut by actual size. I cut the size 40" with a 30" waist. (My full hips are 38.5" and my waist is 29").

There is a "fit check" step in the instructions where you baste the side seams to check and adjust fit, and I ended up taking in the waist by about 3/4" on each side (or 3" total), the hips about 1" (4" total) and the waistband about 3". This is mainly because I was working with a stretch woven—I think in a plain woven I would have taken out half that. After that, it fit PERFECTLY and I made no adjustments to the darts or anything else.

The skirt is designed for this side-seam adjustment, and can be taken in up to 1" on each piece (4" total) without distorting the pocket design. Here's a photo of me pinning the waist and hips in to fit—can you see the chalk and pins?

Fabric: All from the stash, aren't I a good girl?

• Dark pinstriped black stretch denim I've had since high school—less than a yard.
• Scraps of orange stretch cotton sateen for the pockets from a $1/yard FabricMart sale three years ago.
• Bits of gray and white cotton/lycra blend knit, $6/yard from Spandex House a long time ago (also used for panties and my Tiramisu test top).

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: I added flat knit piping to the front and waist seams to create a dotted line effect. If the piping hadn't been so uncooperative and shifty I would have gone all out and done the pockets and side seams too, as in this lovely Milly skirt.

Wear for: Work (with flats or boots) or weekend (though maybe not going down a slide on the playground or riding a bike?) and definitely for a date with the husband.

Successes:

• My first invisible zipper in EIGHT years. Smooth and perfect!:
  
• First time attempting flat piping—it totally works, even though it's not perfectly even.
• Second waistband EVER. (I used a hook and eye closure).
• First time sewing with stretch wovens. I used a small zigzag stitch (1 mm wide, 2 mm long) for most seams to prevent popping.

References used (in addition to instructions of course):

• Marcy Tilton's The Easy Guide to Sewing Skirts. LOVE this very thorough book and the whole series.
• Claire Schaefer's High-Fashion Sewing Secrets from the World's Best Designers. For piping instructions.
• Sandra Betzina's More Fabric Savvy. For tips on sewing with stretch wovens.
• Steph's invisible zipper video tutorial and straight waistband photo tutorial.

I can't wait to make my next pencil-style Hummingbird "Pink" with fancy back tailfeather flounce during the sewalong (join us! orange envelopes are in my House!), in a nubbly turquoise linen blend from ancient stash.

So, do you wear short skirts? How short is too short for work (or equivalent social settings?)

P.P.S. Notice the new red flats, after my agonized blog post on my search for bright and comfortable shoes? Little Z calls them my "Dorothy shoes!"

Hummingbird Sewalong: I'm Head of Rufous House! (June 17 - 27)

If you get an orange envelope in the mail, you've been sorted into my House!

It's pretty much no secret that I'm obsessed with the new Cake Patterns Hummingbird Separates—they were my favorite cover illustration to draw so far, and they are even more fun to sew and wear.

I've made the knit peplum top twice already (in B&W polka dot and an eye-searing bright print, and I'm almost done with my first Hummingbird skirt (in dark pinstriped denim with knit striped piping—will photograph this weekend as soon as I hem her up).

Naturally I jumped at the chance to be a Head of House (you get the reference, right? or are the hat and wand too subtle?), and I got Rufous—the orange envelope team.

The Hummingbird Sew-along starts June 17(days 1-5 for the top, days 6-10 for the skirt), and you can get your print or PDF patterns here, join the Flickr group for support and fitting help here, and find all the posts and blog badges here.

Here's a shipping update and more on the other distinguished Heads of House.

Let's get sewing! Are you in? The house with the most official Finished Hummingbird Objects when it's all done gets a lovely prize!

Brights and Prints Overload (Me Made May Week 4)

I may be a week behind in getting up these blog posts, I may be tired, my photos may be degenerating and me-made-May posts may be the least commented on of all posts on this blog ... but I am NOT giving up on this challenge. SO THERE.

Day 20: Bright Green and Blue Day

Me-Mades (just one):
1. Jalie 2921 scarf-collar floral poly knit top

Other:
1. Thrifted J. Crew green cotton lawn polka-dot skirt (similarish style here)
2. Wurishofer 711 ridiculously comfortable granny sandals, black leather version

Day 21: A Little Sparkle

Who says sequins aren't daytime/work appropriate?

Me-Mades (just one):
1. Cake Patterns Tiramisu knit dress, adapted into a top

Other:
1. Sequined inset lined gored blue skirt
2. Turquoise necklace made by a dear friend
3. Some old Clarks leather sandals, super comfy (similaresque)

Day 22: A Peplum & a Circle Skirt

Here's my black & white polka dot Hummingbird peplum top again, this time with a big blue circle skirt (not me-made). I typically think of peplum tops as only going with pencil skirts and skinny jeans, but I see a lot of peplums and circle skirts in photos from the 50s, so trying a new silhouette! Think the skirt is maybe a bit long, though...

Me-Mades (two):
1. Hummingbird knit top by Cake Patterns with four-leaf clover peplum in polka dot ITY jersey.
2. TARDIS socks in blue, black and white merino wool (held in hands, near completion).

Other:
1. American Apparel blue circle skirt, awkward midi length — originally bought for TARDIS Halloween costume that never came to fruition
2. red coral necklace bought at Renegade Craft Fair ages ago, can't remember maker
3. The Sak orange leather handbag (the only handbag I own, so I wear it regardless of outfit color.)
4. Wurishofer 711 comfy granny sandals, red leather version

Day 23: Green and Purple Love

This is a bit of a cheat—I was sick most of the day, ended up working from home and didn't get dressed until 5:30 p.m. when I had to get my daughter from preschool. Those are my fabric and yarn drawers behind me—all six of them.

Me-Mades (two):
1. Self-drafted reversible shirred skirt.
2. Striped undies, not visible.

Other:
1. Surplice green and white printed knit top.
2. Turquoise necklace made by a dear friend.
3. Clarks Privo black leather Mary Jane flats scuffed to shreds over past 6 years but still going. (Super similar here).

Day 24: Scarves Upon Scarves

This colorblocked second-hand cardigan is actually really awesome, and in real life without a bad flash photo the flower rosette thingies do NOT look like pasties. Just saying. But I don't know if this silhouette really works for me.

Me-Mades (two):
1. Jalie Scarf-Collar top in red and cream polka dot knit
2. Monkey socks in kettle-dyed merino wool

Other:
1. Second-hand purple colorblocked cardigan from friend who was cleaning out closet
2. Pink silk rib knit lace-edge cami
3. Not Your Daughter's straight-legged black stretch jeans (Marilyn style)
4. Arcopedico Flower black leather Mary Jane cut-out flats

Day 25: TARDIS socks for a journey to the stars

Finished my TARDIS sock disaster just in time for a family outing to the American Museum of Natural History's Hayden Planetarium, where we saw "Journey to the Stars." (Toddler was scared sometimes but overall loved it and can't stop talking about how "stars are big hot balls of fire—don't touch!")

Me-Mades (3):
1. Georgina cardigan by Alexis Winslow in chartreuse hand-dyed Swans Island merino wool
2. Falling-down TARDIS socks.
3. striped underthings (not visible)

Other:
1. Not Your Daughter's straight-legged dark blue stretch jeans (Marilyn style)
2. Arcopedico Flower black leather Mary Jane cut-out flats

SO TIRED. But MUST GO ON!

Who else is still hanging in there for the challenge?

Hummingbird Peplum Top II: Hummingbird Colors

A new Hummingbird joins the flock!

So the moment I saw this hummingbird-colored fabric, I just knew it had to be my second Hummingbird peplum top, to follow my first black & white version.

In fact, most of the time involved for this super-quick sewing project was in the cutting—I had to work REALLY carefully to make sure that none of the little round flower things ended up over either "bust apex."

The pattern: Cake Patterns Hummingbird Peplum Top and Straight Skirt 0289. (Hummingbird is shipping now in paper, by the way, or you can buy the top-only PDF for instant peplum gratification).

Fabric: Soft, stretchy and super light-weight rayon/spandex blend jersey from Mood. (I bought extra because I knew the large-scale print would be a challenge.) It doesn't have quite as crisp of a drape as my previous fabric, so the four-leaf clover effect is a bit lost.

It does catch the wind nicely, though:

Also, this fabric is so bright, it is scientifically impossible to be unhappy while wrapped in it.

Differences from version 1:

• I used the second sized peplum length to make it a more comfortable top over jeans or any bottoms that don't sit at the natural waist. I like both lengths on me, however.
• Since this fabric is so light and fluttery, I finished the sleeves with a magenta rolled hem edge on my serger for variation.
• I shortened the back by a little over an inch around bust level (because the top length is sized by front waist length, you may need to do this if you are quite full-busted).

I love many things about this top, but I am most proud of the...

SMOOTH.

FLAT.

NECKBAND.

I don't think I've ever really managed this before. The key was to stretch the band quite a bit tauter over the most curved areas, and just moderately over the straighter areas (Threads has a fantastic video on this from Sarah Veblen, and this one is pretty great too). The topstitching Steph recommends in the instructions helps a lot as well—I did mine in pink.

I'm also pleased with myself for once again getting out of the apartment for a photoshoot—this time the courtyard of my apartment building. (I did worry that the neighbors were wondering what I was doing out there by myself with a tripod twirling around, but oh well.) No idea what those chalked numbers are there for.

Honestly, I feel like this neckband trick is life-changing. I have never really gotten any knit neck bindings to properly cooperate before—they tend to ripple and sag and wibble and wobble all over the place, which is one of the reasons I have made the Jalie scarf-collar top twice—no binding necessary.

In fact, I went to see the Star Trek movie with my husband last night and had trouble concentrating on the film because I kept touching my neckband to see if it was still lying flat and crisp—which it was.

What's your favorite tip for taming knits?

P.S. Full disclosure again, in case you've missed the million times I've mentioned it: I'm the envelope illustrator for Cake but I am NOT paid to sew or blog about Cake!

Name that flirty Hummingbird! (presale + a post-surgery update)

Hi all! I'm still recovering from my surgery, which has been SOOOO much harder than I expected! (General anesthesia and I are NOT friends, and for days afterwards I could do nothing but sleep, cry, eat gelatin and take pain-killers.)

... but I wanted to make sure you were all aware of the Hummingbird Presale for Cake Patterns, which runs through April 7!

Also, StephC and I had so much fun working on the girls for the cover (she modeled, I drew), but while you may have met Maya on the cover of Pavlova, our background girl still needs a name. Ideas, please? (Of the suggestions so far, I love Ingrid, Clea and Izzy...). As before, my cartoonist husband Masheka was the designer.

Here's the back image... Oh I just love peplums and flounces! Also, I love green and pink together. And bright colors... you know me!

More details on Hummingbird and the presale over at 3 Hours Past.

As for the surgery... I was on strict bed-rest for a week, and have to take it easy for another week, but I'm now breathing through my nose and free of a sinus infection for the first time in MONTHS. I was actually able to smell my delicious spicy lunch food today. AMAZING. I cannot WAIT to be well enough to SEW, I tell you what! Thank you all for your super sweet well wishes.

Here's a drawing my 2-year-old daughter Z did of her taking care of me during my surgery recovery... she drew a bandage on her face as well (she's the tiny one) to make me feel better. "Mommy is happy because the doctor fixed her hurt nose":

P.S. Not much knitting while lying in bed, but I did weave in the ends on my cardigan and reknit a too-tight hat (scroll down) I had to frog because it was giving me headaches ... pictures when I can! And I wound the balls of yarn for a pair of TARDIS socks (the dear Doctor is back in just a few days after all).