Scanning blogs, I came across Sew Sarah Smith's post of her beautiful Appleton dress in green stretch velvet, which she made for Christmas. A velvet Christmas dress sounded like such a lovely idea, I promptly headed to Cali Fabrics and bought some red stretch velvet.

I didn't have the Appleton, but I had 2 wrap dress in my pattern stash, Vogue 8379 and Style Arc Kate, plus a mock wrap, New Look 6301, all of which I haven't tried yet (I also have a couple Style Arc Slip on Suzies, but I have made 2 of them and I hate them...maybe the wrong fabric). I kept looking each of these over and fretting about not knowing what pattern adjustments I'd have to make and finally I said to hell with it, I'll just make another dress out of Jalie 3352. Actually, it was at my husband's insistence; he said "you look great in that dress" (although I don't agree).

Oh, and I ran to Joann's for that trim to dress the dress up a bit. Ooh, this does not look good. Terrible pooling at the back, etc., etc. Maybe a different pattern...maybe lose 20 pounds, maybe I should not wear stretch velvet? Just saw another beautiful Appleton in blue stretch velvet at Sew Fearless. A wrap is way more suited to this fabric than a dolman-sleeve A-line dress!!! I bought an Appleton after emailing Cashmerette and asking if I could adjust so it would be a wee bit smaller. I got a nice response with specific suggestions and I'm looking forward to trying it.

More progress getting through my existing patterns, although the fabric was a failing of willpower. I should not look at ads. I should unsubscribe from all lists. I tell myself it is a stressbusting amusement to scroll through online fabric stores..."I won't buy anything!" But inevitably I will see something and my already-weak resolve will weaken further.

So it was a couple months ago. I saw a lovely eggplant purple ponte...something I imagined I had been looking for and wanting for so long...something I could sew my Holy Grail dress* up in while awaiting the sewjo to sew it up in a nice woven...so I got a couple yards. And while I was at it, I added some dark gray ponte to the basket as well. *A lined wool sheath dress like Butterick 5602 or for now Simplicity 2468.

Thanksgiving morning 2019 I decided to sew up the gray in McCall's 6886. It went together quickly. I sewed a 10 grading to a 12 at the waist and a 14 at the hips. No FBA since there are no darts and I couldn't be bothered. I was also too impatient to wait to head to the store for darker thread. I sewed with the darkest gray I had and wound up with visible "top stitching." Actually this gray is very matte and boring and the stitching adds some interest.

Well, I don't really like it. I like the pattern well enough. I will probably make it again. But I don't like the fabric. It feels like plastic. I feel like I'm wearing a wet suit. I might wear it to work or to make a presentation but I'm not wearing it when I want to be comfortable. 

So many people have sewed the Scout Tee and raved. After my fourth muslin of Simplicity 2599, I went a little nuts. I switched plans and bought the Scout pattern. The Scout Tee looks so easy! No darts! Something I remember reading praised the pattern for clever pattern design that resulted in a good fit "instead of darts." (I could be making that up.)  What if instead of tweaking a Big 3 bodice pattern over and over again, I could just use a cleverly designed pattern? It's also billed as a "woven tee," and something about that description is alluring. 

I did have my doubts. Although many people seem to look good in the photos of their versions, the one on Grainline's site seems to pull a little under the arms, and...well that is not a very big-bosomed model. I need a C or D cup or I have to make an FBA. Still, I went ahead and made the purchase. I wasn't thinking straight.

I put the PDF pattern together and sewed up a muslin. Not good. Neckline gapes, which I know how to fix, but it pulls under the arms to such a degree that it is uncomfortable, and I don't know how to fix that. The back is rather voluminous. 

​I can't sew this up in good material. It needs adjusting, and I'm not sure how to adjust it. That vague memory of "clever construction" makes me think I can't do the usual. Maybe someday I will investigate to see if anyone has ever had similar problems and what they did about it. I suppose I could try a larger size at the top. 

This looks like a simple top. I suppose it is. I have finally finished my first actual garment from it, and it's only taken me about 10 years. I bought the pattern ages ago. I've taken it out and considered it multiple times. Finally, in the past few months, I resolved to reduce some stash fabric by making tops of some silk chiffon I purchased when I first started sewing again and didn't have better sense, and I took this pattern out. I made a muslin. Even though it comes with different cup sizes, which helps immensely, don't get me wrong, it still did not fit well. I added about 2" to the hips. I lowered the dart by 1". I added two long darts in the back. I was pretty happy with it at that point.

However, I was thinking about duplicating a silk chiffon top I own already:

So I made the neckline a V-neck. Then I realized I had no seam allowance. Once I added, I realized I didn't know how to manage the partial opening at the top--how do you account for seam allowance at the opening, have none in the middle of the garment, and not have it look awful? By this point I had made 5 muslins and I couldn't deal with making more. 

I looked up, saw some cotton batik lawn-like fabric I'd bought at last year's sewing expo, and decided to make it up in this pattern and went back to the round neckline. I made my own bias tape using the bias-tape-maker gadget I'd owned for 10 years, and it turned out great! 

I am super happy with the fit of this top, and I like the round neckline. Bonus...I didn't put a zipper in even though it's a woven. I can get it on and off easily. So I will use this pattern for the two swaths of silk chiffon I have. I have to line them, so it's going to be hell to sew, and I'm not looking forward to silk chiffon bias tape making, and I am still debating a zipper closure...

My stash distresses me. I don't even know what I own. I want to sew, sew, sew it away until it is gone and I only buy what I need when I know what I want and I have a plan. I have purchased too many patterns I now know I will not sew because I didn't know what I was doing. I have purchased fabric with no pattern in mind and no plan for what it would be used for. The result is this weighty burden. 

Still I buy fabric when I think I will not find its equal again easily, as I did when I went to the Sewing Expo 2019 and saw some gawachuss batik-design fabrics (that's how I think of them). Some of the fabric was cotton, some rayon, some jersey (cotton, I think). The colors were so awesome I bought 3 bits. 

The white linen Archer had gone together so effortlessly and fit nicely, so I decided to stash bust and sew another Archer with one of the batik-y pieces, this time going for the long-sleeved version.

I searched through (and purchased) a number of button-down shirt patterns seeking a simple, loose but fitted style for a beach cover up before settling on the Archer. I am happy I went with it. It turned out great.

I intended to make it in linen--the first time ever I made anything out of this fabric. I was trying to copy a shirt my sister wore to Hilton Head the previous year. Hers was a lovely denim-colored lightweight linen. I found a blue linen and bought it. It looked, and felt, like grandma's favorite table cloth, so it was a no-go for this. I decided to look for something lighter weight and the only thing I could find was white. Still, when it arrived, I fell in love! I imagined it was pretty similar to what mummies are wrapped in but somehow that only added to its allure. 

I made the shirt and my, linen is nice to sew with. I have worn the shirt a couple times and it wrinkled up right away as is its reputation. It still looks good to me. 

Gawd, that dart is insanely wrong. Still I love it. Here's a close up of the top:

I have made quite a few hats from this pattern—just the simple one. I have made neck warmers, too, but I didn't use the pattern as that is a simple tube. I first made the hat and neck warmer in a gray fleece. I even made two of those hats; still, I lost them all. Then I got this cool camo fleece in a purple colorway. I love it, but the only things I have thought of to make so far (that I would actually wear) are this hat and neck warmer. I made a bunch in case I lose them again. On a recent hike with my son and husband, we each wore one.

Actually, now that I am thinking about it, that is one hat on me, one hat on my son, and one neck warmer on the tough guy who didn't need to bring proper clothes for a winter hike. Fortunately, I had spare gear.

After failing to apply some gray french terry bamboo jersey I bought to a Moneta, I decided it should work well with Jalie 3352. It did. It was nice, it was comfortable, it looked good. I gave it to my daughter before I could take a photo, but it looked kind of like this:

​

The thing was...it looked very close to something I had been thinking of making...

This is a dress I had seen in an ad. I knew I could make that just as easily as I could order it (which never turns out to be true in the end, of course), so I snipped it and put it on my list of 2018 projects.

I had plenty of this fabric left, and I was worried that since I had NOT intended to make the dress from the outset, I might be forced into making frustrating adjustments or compromises for what I had in mind. Since my daughter liked the pullover, I gave it to her and started over.  I ended up with something I am pretty happy with!

At the time I decided to make this, I also had some red plaid cotton woven in my stash, so I thought I had everything I needed. I played around with it for a bit but I was worried the two fabrics wouldn't play nicely together in the end with one being stretchy and the other not; plus the woven wrinkles easily. Here is a picture where I was trying it out (actually, this is the first top I made that I gave to my daughter...I notice the neckline is finished—another reason I decided to start over; I didn't want to have to take that off):

I searched online and finally found a knit in the pattern I wanted at Cali Fabrics. I really like this company. This fabric is a brushed poly and it is as comfortable and easy to sew as advertised. I am super happy with the fabric and feel lucky to have found the plaid I was looking for.

I had to play around a bit with where the pattern would best be placed. Where it first wound up would have been way too low. I tried it on and felt like Grandma Moses. ​

I made the Blackwood cardigan again in french terry. I made it according to the directions this time, i.e., with the band at the bottom and the cuffs, unlike my tweaked version for the wedding-reception-suitable sequin jacket. I like it a lot! It is super comfortable and it looks pretty good! This is a suitable pattern for french terry, unlike my Moneta fail. One one gripe is that the cardigan doesn't close in the front all the way...I should have known that a freeze baby like me would always prefer warmth over any sort of sartorial flair. I have worn it, and it did keep me just warm enough, so I will be wearing it! Will I make it again? That remains to be seen...

Also, I am 5'4" and I needed to remove 4 inches from the body of the cardigan before attaching the band. I could have cut the arm length down as well before attaching the cuffs, but I like the extra length at my wrists. I made this all on my serger and coverstitch and it sewed up very easily.

Still in search of the perfect cowl pattern, I made McCall's 6963 in a magenta (?) wool jersey. I like it; it's super comfortable, it's warm, and the color suits me. 

So I think the top is fine for wearing under a blazer or sweater, which is what I do anyway. But I am not 100% happy.

The biggest problem I have had with cowl patterns is that the there is not enough shoulder—the garment always ends up showing my bra straps, which incenses me. There seems to be just enough shoulder on this top, but I don't think the cowl looks that good. Maybe a cowl doesn't suit my figure like I thought it did???

To ensure I would have enough garment at the shoulders, I made a smaller size to fit my underbust (10) and made a full bust adjustment. When I stand differently, you can see the weirdness more accurately. 

Eeewww. Don't like that cowl shape. Bottom line is I am still in search of my cowl Nirvana. I guess I will use this pattern if I desperately need a cowl for something in the meantime.