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:

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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.

I have wanted to make this pattern for a long time. It is on my list of 2018 sewing goals. About 6 months ago I bought a few inexpensive "shirt" fabrics. I decided to use one and sew this up.

So, it seems like it should be good, right? It looks like it fits very nicely. Unfortunately, there are 3 issues with this make. First, the fabric is heavier than I imagined. Plus it has some lycra in it. That was not so bad in one respect as it saved me from putting in a zipper. Which maybe I should have done one anyway, but I didn't have one and I was in the sewing zone and didn't want to get distracted. But the feel of the fabric with the weight and the lycra is too heavy. Something about the gathering of the shoulders is uncomfortable. I am very touchy I guess. The other thing is that don't you think I'm a little too old for this dress? That is how I feel. 

Here is the final thing. I did not choose the hunchback view, but somehow I sewed it:

I did solve the problem by opening up the neckline, taking in the sides of the center seam 2 inches at the neck and tapering down to nothing an inch or so above the waist, and then sewing the neckline back up. It looks better now...but the other two problems aren't going away. I will try this dress again in a more drapey, lightweight fabric and see if it helps. 

I needed a cover-up for a wedding I was attending in Seattle. My nephew was getting married in an outdoor setting (which turned out to be beautiful) and then holding the reception in a restaurant on the water (also beautiful). But they couple said "cocktail attire," which is not a concept I have any experience with. Googling around the Internets and asking a coworker led me to the conclusion that a sleeveless stretch lace cotton dress I already owned would work just fine, but I needed shoes and a cover-up to go along since the reception would be indoors and thus air-conditioned and cold, which I could not handle. I found some silver low-heeled sandals online, perfect for the occasion although surely never to be worn again, so I bought them (oops, but did not model them in the picture below). 

Now I had to figure out the cover-up. Surely, I could just make some simple jacket in a nice sequined fabric. I wanted purple, but could find only black at Joann's. So I bought it and went in search of a pattern. I searched my stash...nothing quite right. I bought a new pattern--I'm not sure it was even on sale, which hurts--thinking it might work. Butterick 5529:

I knew it was a risky bet. It could look okay or it could look hideous. I searched to see who else had made it. The examples weren't too bad but nothing quite like what I had in mind. But then I saw this version:  

I see the bottom hem is a mess. Oh well. This will probably join the silver sandals as a one-time wear. If I do have occasion to wear it again, I will revisit the hem.

There are 25 million successful Monetas on the Internets. Mine is not one of them. I'm not even going to finish the neckline. I'm going to take it apart and reuse the fabric if I can. It's a knit bamboo, and a little heavy. The fabric feels nice on. But maybe the fabric's heaviness is why this dress is a disaster. Or maybe Moneta is a style that just does not suit me. Maybe 20 extra pounds don't suit me.

UPDATE 6/13/2018
I raised the shoulders 1.5 inches. When I make this again in another fabric, I will use this variation. I'm still not sure this dress will look good on my bod. I am hoping it is just that this fabric does not suit this pattern.

My sister bought a shirt for her daughter. She thought it reflected her perfectly. But the store only had size that was too small. So my sister asked me to make it into a pillow.

I'm frustrated with trying to find a good pattern for a top with a draped cowl neckline. I have a couple, one in particular, store-bought shirt that is perfect. I could use about 10 of those for work in different colors and prints. But I haven't found a good pattern yet. 

I have had Simplicity 1716 in my stash for a while (like about 100 other patterns I've yet to sew). I have pulled it out, studied it, been dissuaded by the unsophisticated way it falls from the shoulders in the envelope image, and put it back in the drawer a number of times. I finally decided to use it after discovering some white jersey in my stash. I was overcome with the desire to make a white cowl and resolved not to use New Look 6901 ever again, and desperate for a pattern in my own possession that I could use. Looking at some reviews on Pattern Review and thinking the results people got looked good, I went forward.

Results: Meh. I wore this to work under a sweater (and over an undershirt because the white jersey is transparent), and it was okay. But there is too much foldiness. I accidentally cut out view F, which has extra fabric for ruching at the hips, so those extra folds don't help. But there are pleats with this pattern at the shoulders and at the bust to produce even more folds. The ones at the shoulders are acceptable, but the one at the bust is kind of weird, not because of the fold it produces but because of the pleat that sits at the side of the bust. Seems a dart would be more flattering.

At any rate, I can't see myself making this one again, although I will wear this top until I can manage to replace it with one I like better. 

I had some gray and black wool jersey left over from other projects. I made this in a size T and graded out to the hips a little. It was very simple to assemble, minus the neckband. Is this really the best way to affix a neckband? I must figure out how to use that coverstitch machine! I can coverstitch hems, but I haven't figured out bands yet. I like how the shirt turned out, but there are some aspects of it that make me doubt whether it is a good style on me. 

1. First off, the neckline is a little too large for my comfort. 
2. The sleeves...I am not a big fan of 3/4 sleeves. I don't find them comfortable.
3. or warm, like the neckline.
4. It's a great T-shirt look, but it doesn't work so well as a work shirt because the front is not too shaped. The two-toned design is lost under a sweater or jacket, which is essential office wear. Offices are always cold.
5. I think the cover shows the best use of this dolman design. I should either make a loose sweater or use a print in the middle if I do this again. I think I will for a pullover sweater.