Oakridge blouse & some photography

Well. Raiding my stash was a failure. I have loads of quilting cottons in my stash, but they don't have the right drape for this blouse (I could use them to make the Granville shirt, but I had my heart set on making an Oakridge first).

I suppose that means I'll need to make a trip to the fabric store, which I will do on my way home today. I'm hoping to find something suitable for spring, since it has been so beautiful here lately. I know the rest of Canada and the US are snowed under, but we're very fortunate here on the west coast... I don't want to rub it in, but if you're so inclined, this will show you just what we've been living with for the last couple of weeks. Crocuses. Daffodils. Cherry blossoms. Even the magnolia trees are blooming already. It's been just beautiful.

©Aspiring Threads

I took this photo last weekend on the seawall at Stanley Park. It was cool in the shade, but once you got into the sunshine, it was nice and warm. We spent a couple of hours walking the seawall, talking, and taking photos. We're very fortunate to have such a beautiful park in our city.

©Aspiring Threads

©Aspiring Threads

©Aspiring Threads

The lookout at Prospect Point, as seen from the seawall.












Siwash Rock is a local landmark, and has a really neat First Nations story. Give it a read on Wikipedia.











Mount Baker, as seen from the seawall (do you notice a trend here?). Port Metro Vancouver can be seen too. You can also see the crows going home to roost. I love watching the crows heading home for the night.

In fact, this is an opportunity to share more music with you! In January 2014, we went to see a concert called Sing it Forward, during which, I was first exposed to a young woman named Hannah Epperson. She's an amazing violinist, and one of the songs she played is called Murder of Crows. The first thing I did when I got online the next day was buy her EP. I've only been able to find live videos of her performing the song, and this is the best one I could find... but if you like it, her EP used to be available on Bandcamp.com... but it's not there anymore, sadly. If you visit her Facebook page, you might be able to find her contact information so you can buy her album, as it is wonderful. Give her a listen!

I'll be back after I buy fabric, I promise!!!

Some housekeeping and finished objects

Since I took such a long hiatus, there are a lot of things to share. Just because I wasn't blogging about my adventures with fabric and yarn does not mean I took a break from creating.

Reviving my blog meant giving it a new look too. I used a photo I took of a shawl I knit last spring and added text and the cute little bird using Pic Monkey (not hard at all, and I'm definitely not a graphic artist).

Also, if anyone wondered, the name of my blog is inspired by a song by my favourite local band, Mother Mother. The song is called Aspiring Fires... Listen here!

I'm going to share some recent finished objects in this post, and will do another post tomorrow... But for today, I'll share what I made for our wedding, which was last June.

©Wanderlust Photography

These three shawls were made using Handmaiden Casbah yarn, which is absolutely wonderful to work with. The colour is called wine. Links to the shawls on my Ravelry page follow:

Bride: Temple and Arch

Maid of Honour: Leaf Evolution

Bridesmaid (aka my daughter): Yasmin

I also have to give credit for the photographs I'm posting from the wedding, as our photographer was wonderful to work with and is a real artist. I highly recommend Wanderlust Photography.

©Wanderlust Photography

Because I'm a crafty person, I made the dresses for the three of us. My dress was quite challenging, because it was my first full bust adjustment. Aah, the dreaded FBA! I started off going by instructions I found online, but they all made assumptions about the pattern you were using (ie: existing darts, and standard design features). My dress is a 1950's era reproduction, so very little about it was standard. I went so far as to buy a few different patterns to see if I could get those to work, because I was at my wit's end getting the pattern I chose to work properly.

What I found most helpful, however, was to take a Craftsy course called Adjust the Bust. I skipped pass the small bust adjustment parts of the course, because they didn't apply to me and I was running out of time. I'm sure they'll come in handy sewing for other people though, and the concept is the same. Anyway, the point is, if you can afford it, this course was excellent and will give you all of the skills and information you need to do bust adjustments. It does make assumptions about your pattern design features, but everything is explained in such a clear way that it makes even a more challenging pattern easy to adjust. I also just noticed that the course is half price right now!

©Wanderlust Photography

All that being said, the adjustment was still challenging, and I did go through several muslins before I got a fit that I was satisfied with. If I could do it again, I'd have made a little more room in the bust, but the dress fit was good enough for me, and it was stressing me out, so rather than continue to fuss with it, I just went ahead and sewed it with the fit I got.

If you're fussy like me, you'll notice that there is a bit of tightness and drag across the bust, but most people would never see it. The stiffness of the fabric didn't help with this effect any, but it wasn't too bad. Of course, this being my second marriage, I wanted to be untraditional, so we went with a retro 50's look for the dresses.

I also made my headpiece. Since I wasn't interested in doing a traditional wedding, I bought a bunch of feathers and some netting and put together a fascinator. I also burned myself with the glue gun. I made simple earrings and necklaces for everyone, but my son bought me a special necklace to wear for the wedding.

©Wanderlust Photography

Here I am with my daughter and my best friend, who was my maid of honour. Their dresses are both different, because they have very different body types. I made my daughter's dress first, and it went very quickly as she didn't need any adjustments to be made. She did mention wearing it again some time, but I suspect that by the time she has the opportunity, it will be too small. She's nearly my height now, and it has only been eight months!

Yes, it did rain on our wedding day. What else do you expect in June in Vancouver? Fortunately, I had the foresight to buy umbrellas...

©Wanderlust Photography

Of course, I couldn't leave my husband out of the creative picture... so I knit him a pair of socks using yarn that was gifted to me by one of the ladies in my knitting group.

The pattern I used was called Wollmeise Socks, and was designed for the yarn, which my friend brought back from Germany with her.

And those shoes, if you're wondering, are Fluevogs. I love their shoes, even if they are crazy expensive. I got these on sale though.

©Wanderlust Photography

And what 1950's style dress is complete without a petticoat? I don't tolerate crinoline very well, so I hunted down some cotton organdy (if you live in Vancouver, they stock it at Fabricana, and it is reasonably priced!)

I can't remember where I got the tutorial, but mine has ribbon over all of the seams, and is three tiers. I liked the cotton organdy, because it is stiff enough to hold the skirt out and keep it full, but it is soft and not at all itchy. I didn't make an elastic waist on it, because that would add bulk. Mine has a slit, with a hook and eye closure, so it is easy to get in and out of it.

I haven't had an opportunity to wear it since making it, which is unfortunate, because it's just the right fullness to actually wear without feeling like you're in costume.

©Aspiring Threads

There was one other dress that I made for the wedding, but it wasn't for a member of the wedding party. My husband knows a couple who have a band, and they have played at several events we've attended. He approached them about performing at the reception, and we were thrilled that they agreed! Every time I've seen them perform, I've said to him "I'd love to sew for her..." She is quite petite, and has a love for vintage dresses. We worked out a bit of a trade... a new dress for her, in exchange for singing at the reception. This dress is covered in tulips, and the pattern is a Vogue vintage reproduction. I had to do a fair bit of modification to the pattern, as it was far too deep in the shoulders for her, but I absolutely loved the construction of the skirt, which is actually pleated. It made for a very full skirt, which looks great on her. I also made a crinoline to go under this dress, which I used tulle to make.

This post is getting awfully long, so I will leave it at that. If anyone has any questions or comments, please leave them below and I'll be sure to answer as soon as I can!

Quick edit to add that I made another post about my dress, so go read it here if you want more details!

Reinventing the wardrobe

It's been a while since I posted here, but I'm on a mission, so now is a good time to revive the blog.

I decided that I would get rid of everything that either is worn out, doesn't fit nicely, or is, for whatever reason, unflattering.

I got rid of two garbage bags worth of clothing. And there's more, but I can't very well run around naked, so for now, I'm holding onto some of it.

Most off the rack clothing has fit issues for my body type. I'm usually a size 8, so pretty average... however, I'm busty, so I need to buy at least a size 12 in tops. This doesn't mean they're going to fit though. Buying to fit my bust leads to baggy waists, and bunchy weirdness in the armscye, which isn't flattering (most of the tops I got rid of today are good examples of this problem). Having a big bust also means that tops are usually too short in the front. I also am long in the arms, so long sleeves are always too short.

What is the solution to these fitting issues? Sewing my own clothes. There are clothing companies that do cater to the curvy, busty crowd, but there's not a lot of selection, and most of them are based in Europe, so you're paying a small fortune for shipping. If it doesn't fit or you don't like it, you are spending another fortune to ship it back, at which point you may as well keep it.... and did I mention these garments are typically pretty expensive?

This is why I'm giving up on retail, and making my own. They don't make patterns for people bigger than a D cup though, so it means lots of alterations to the pattern. This is where the dreaded FULL BUST ADJUSTMENT comes in... What is a FBA, exactly? This post does a really great job explaining it, and the basics of how to do it. This is another great post explaining what a FBA is, and why just sewing a larger size is the wrong answer...

I have loads of patterns, but none for tops that I actually want to sew, so I bought some from Sewaholic. I love their patterns, because they're stylish, easy to sew, with great instructions, and I'm supporting a local Indie company.

I bought the Granville, Renfrew and Oakridge blouse patterns, and will probably do Oakridge first, because it is probably my favourite of the three. Another great thing about Sewaholic is that they post tips and tutorials on their blog, and even an experienced sewist like myself can learn a thing or two from them.

I'll be back tomorrow, as I have more to say, but for now, I'm off to raid my stash to see what I have that would suit the Oakridge blouse.

Android knitting tools... PDF readers

It's been a while since I posted... but I'm back! I need to get caught up on the projects I've finished in the last year (it's been ten months since my last post!) but for now, I'm going to start a series of posts regarding some great apps for Android users who knit.

The first one I'll discuss is PDF readers for your knitting patterns. I've been eyeing Knit Companion for over a year, and if I were to switch over to iOS, that would be the app that would sway me in that direction. I know people who use it, and I think it is a great tool. They did a kickstarter campaign earlier this year, but didn't get enough funding. Because of this, I kept looking for an alternative.

Knitting Pattern Database sounded like it would work, except that charts get messed up. If they’re inserted into the PDF as images, they work just fine, but if they’re not, they don’t appear at all, as the app cannot render the special characters. I also had issues with some PDF patterns not importing at all, and there are limits to where you can import from. I have lots of PDFs on my laptop that aren’t in my Ravelry library, and I cannot import them.

I’ve used Repligo Reader for some time, and figured out that to keep my place in a chart, all I need to do is draw a horizontal line, moving it up a row every time I finish a row. Worked like a charm! The only problem is that Repligo has been discontinued and is no longer available for download. If I ever replace my phone or tablet, I’ll lose the app. I have to admit to being rather annoyed, because it wasn’t a free app, and now I have to replace it. I tried downloading the apk online, but my antivirus freaked out. I tried downloading the apk from my tablet (where I have the app installed) and installing on another device, but the installation failed… so I had no choice but to find a different app.

Adobe PDF reader doesn't work for my needs, because it doesn't give me the ability to draw lines (or if it does, I haven't been able to find the function). The up side is that it's free, and it's fairly streamlined. I've been using it for a few days, and I'm not really happy with it.

Today, I tried the trial version of ezPDF Reader. I can track where I am in a pattern just like I’m used to, and I can make annotations either using the keyboard, or I can write on the PDF with my stylus. I’m pleased with the app, so I decided to buy the full version as the trial is only good for 15 days. It’s on sale too, at 50% off right now!

Little things for little feet

Remember the pink sweater I knitted for my friends who were expecting? Baby is here, and she's adorable. Mum wanted a pumpkin hat since she loves all things Halloween, so I offered to knit her one.

The hat pattern is Baby Berry Hat, and I knitted it up in about 2 hours, maybe 3. It was quick and easy. The yarn is acrylic, which I don't usually like to work with, but I didn't want to trek all the way to the local yarn store to buy what I needed. The green yarn is wool, from my stash.

Because I had so much yarn left over, I decided to make matching booties. Honestly, I've never had babies to knit for, and I became a little obsessed when I made the sweater... When my kids were born, I wasn't knitting.

The booties are Saartje's Bootees, and they're very quick and easy. They're supposed to be made with two colours of yarn, but I didn't have any more of the green yarn from the hat, so I used green buttons instead.

I did say I was obsessed with baby knits, didn't I? Since the first pair of booties knitted up so quickly, I decided to use up the last bit of the pink yarn from the sweater to make matching booties. Since the pattern calls for worsted weight yarn, and this yarn is fingering, I held the yarn double. Piece of cake!

My friends liked the hat, and the unexpected booties. I've seen photos of Baby in her pumpkin hat and booties, and she's incredibly cute. I can't wait to meet her.

Skirts, part II

Here are the other two skirts I made with Butterick 4722.

Another view C. This skirt is made from quilting cotton that has been in my stash forever and a day. This one was given to my daughter's friend, to whom I promised a skirt months ago and finally got done.

She's a little older than girlie, and a touch bigger, so I added a little bit to the centre front and back seams. She has a bit of growing room.

I didn't have any brown zippers, but I did have a pink one, so it ties in with the colours in the skirt.

This skirt is view B. I normally like to make children's clothing out of quilting cotton because it is inexpensive, but this fabric was not a quilting cotton.

I can't remember what it was though. It is cotton, however.

This one was not so fun, as the markings on the pattern made no sense at all, so I had to work out the ease and gathers freehand. I'm not a big fan of doing gathers, but they always look nice when I'm done, so I suppose I shouldn't complain.

This skirt has an elastic waistband.

Next up on the sewing list is Halloween costumes. I'm looking forward to them - they are always fun. Little Dude's costume also incorporates some knitting... but I'm not telling what he's going to be!

Skirts for Girlie

When my daughter and I went back to school shopping, every skirt she looked at was way, way, WAY too short. Am I getting old? I don't think I am... there's no good reason for an eleven year-old to be wearing skirts that short. Yes, they had shorts underneath, but as far as I am concerned, shorts under skirts are for girls that are young enough not to have storytime on the carpet. Or gymnasts, or figure skaters, or dancers. You get the idea.

She tried on skirts like this one... On the model, it looks perfectly fine... My daughter, however, has long legs, and on her, it looked more like this. Now, this would be fine if she'd wear leggings underneath, but I know she probably won't... Sorry kiddo.

So, I told her that none of the skirts she picked out were acceptable, and asked her if she'd like me to make her some skirts. She was happy with that, so we left the minis at the store.

She didn't want to go fabric shopping with me, but I know what she likes. I bought Butterick 4722, and planned on making view B & C (the orange one and the yellow one). I bought the fabric in August, and finally got around to sewing two of the three promised skirts yesterday.

I haven't made the gathered tiered skirt yet, so I won't comment on it yet. I did make two of the pleated skirt however, and it was a great pattern. Only three pieces, eight pleats, a zipper and a grosgrain ribbon at the waist instead of a waistband. I omitted the bow, because she's not really into details like that.

 The first skirt I made was in purple corduroy. I found it in the clearance section of the store. I found the great lime green lace and thought it would be a fun accent.

It is a nice fine whale corduroy, so it doesn't have too much bulk. Purple is one of her favourite colours. I couldn't find the right colour of zipper, so I had to use a black one. I almost wish I could have found a lime green zipper!

The grosgrain ribbon waist was a bit tricky on this skirt, because of the weight of the fabric. It was a little too thick for this waist treatment to work easily, but it did work out in the end. There was just a bit of fussy pinning to do.

The second skirt is made of a brushed cotton plaid. I think out of the two, this is her favourite. It drapes beautifully, and the waistband was much simpler.

I really loved the colours in this fabric. Girlie isn't a fan of brown, but the blue is one of her favourites, and I figured if she didn't like this fabric, I could use it for myself. I'm almost disappointed, because I would have liked to make myself a skirt out of it. I'd buy more fabric, but I suspect she might have a problem with her mum having a matching skirt.

Fortunately, I managed to find a blue zipper that was just the right colour for this skirt. Picking thread was a little more challenging, as I couldn't decide which colour to match. I went with the brown.

I'm quite pleased with my matching of the plaid as well. I normally dislike working with plaid because matching it is such a hassle, but this wasn't too bad.

I decided to have some fun with the decorative stitching on my machine as well. It is subtle, but I rather like it. I wish I'd had lime green thread to do this on the purple skirt!

Girlie wore her plaid skirt to school today, with a white t-shirt and guess what? Leggings. Sigh. Sometimes, you just have to throw your hands up in the air and give up!

Her friend came over yesterday while I was making supper, and was really excited for Girlie because I'd made her skirts. I may have promised to make her a skirt too... fortunately, she's the same size as Girlie, and I have some stash cotton that would be great on her... so I guess that's my next project. I hope to finish her skirt as well as the gathered skirt today.

I guess I'd better get sewing!