Another catch up post.
Way back in May 2017 I made this Black and White “love graffiti fabric” set. Technically I made the tank in Aug 2016 and then added the shorts to match in May 2017. In the last 4 years I have worn then tons (the fabric is fading) and love the set. Sadly I never got around to blogging the details.
(photos from before surgery)
As my weight fluctuates I have to send them to the “too small” or “too large” bin from time to time but I never get rid of the set.
They fit awesome and feel great when I wear them. I don’t often wear sets and I really like these together.
The shorts are Jalie 2445; back in 2017 I was an entirely different size than I am now. I made a straight size X for some reason. Normally I size up for my hips. But who knows what fitting book I was reading and what method I was giving a try.
So I made a straight size X with a ton of alterations. On the backs I took 5/8” off the outer waist and 1/4” at center waist. I added 1/2” to the outer hip but took away 1/2” on the butt scoop. I then added 2.5” to the hem.
To the fronts I did the same on the waist, but for the hip I added 1/4” to outer and took in 1/4” on inner crotch scoop. I also added 1/2” to the front thigh. My notes say I added 1” total to thigh, 0 total to hip, and removed 1.75” from total waist. Whew, that’s a mouthful. Let’s get a visual drawing for that. (yes, I’m slightly crazy sometimes with trying alterations).
(Not the actual pattern below, just a generic drawing of shorts fronts and backs).
The fabric I used is: “Love Graffiti Jersey Knit” Cotton/Lycra from Fashionfabricsclub. I picked it up in Nov 2015 for $5.25 per yard. It’s a fun fabric but washes terribly. It fades a ton. It has horrible recovery. But, it is soft.
I love the waistband on these things. The method to put the waist in keeps it all nice and straight and no rolling. There is zigzag stitching along the inside top that keeps it all nice and in place.
Pulling these out of the saved bin is like pulling out a favorite, loved blanket. Soft and comforting. They are going on 5 years of wear now, I consider them a definite win.
I also have made these shorts for Miss K 2 times before; she didn’t wear them much because she is just not a shorts girl. But they turned out cute anyway.
This is Ottobre 02/2007 #1 “Tank Top” and I made it once before this one, but wasn’t happy with it (back then I wanted more tight fitting clothing and as time has gone on I would much prefer the looser fit of both these tank). This one is a size 42 graded to a 46 at the hip. This time I slimmed up the sides a bit but it was still loose. The fabric was the same “Love” graffiti as above.
(Photo below from 2017)
And I can’t believe I never shared THIS make on my blog.
It’s Jalie 3355 which I’ve made a bazillion (9) times now. I made this one Oct 2017 and Miss K loved it for a short time.
It was an expensive make. She felt it brought too much attention to her when she wore it to school and with her being shy, she decided after a few wears, to not wear it anymore.
I still have it, hanging in my closet. It was too expensive and too good to give away. Maybe someday I can squeeze into it when my weight fluxes again.
I made this in a straight size U, adding 1” to the cuffs and hem band widths. This is up a few sizes for Miss K. But I wanted it to fit for awhile because it was such an expensive make.
The fabric is absolutely amazing. It is Saoirse (SheerSha) from the movie The Song of the Sea. One of my all time favorite movies.
The fabric on the sleeves, hood, and back is called Selkie love; 2 yards cotton lycra; $44 (YIKES!! It was $22/yard). The front panel is called Selkie panel and was $8
SO Total for the hoodie was $52 not including the blue bands and inner hood lining……. I’m a very frugal person and this just hurts me to pay for this amount of fabric.
But, it was a rare occasion and Miss K wanted it so bad.
I got the fabric from Wanderlust custom fabric on Facebook. I have always gotten awesome, quality custom fabrics from there.
Other Jalie 3355 makes:
Dark Gray Hoodie for Mr. T – Nov 2017
Gray Yellow Brick Road Hoodie for me – Nov 2016
Purple plain hoodie for Miss K – Nov 2016
Red Kitty Hoodie for Miss K – Apr 2016
Purple Alice In Wonderland Hoodie for me – Apr 2015
Teal Rainbow for Miss K – Mar 2015
Purple Pac Man for Miss K -Mar 2015
Black Polka Dot hoodie for Miss K – Jan 2015
Happy Sewing! And thanks for the trip back to 2017 with me :)
Kristin
Measurements at the time: High bust: 37, Bust 39, Waist 32, Hip 47
Date started and finished: 09/03/19, and then they sat for 3 years waiting for the top to be sewn.
Size sewn: 50
Alterations: added ¼” to front thigh at crotch tapering to 0 at inner thigh
Scooped ¼” off front crotch curve
Lowered front rise by 3.5”
Took in 1.5” on waist tapering to 0 at hip front and back
Fabric: 2 yards of a mystery fabric. It is polyester, shiny on one side with striations in the fabric and matte on the other. It is soft and silky feeling. I’m not sure what it is, except that it’s slipper and polyester. I got it when Hancock was going out of business. I had 10 freaking yards of this stuff, and it was only like $0.10/yard. lol. (Hancock label calls it "Dull satin" and internet searches call it hammered satin). I’ve had it in my stash for well over 10 years now. I used this fabric when I made my Jalie Melanie Kimono robe back in 2018 and I still have 3 yards left of it after this pj outfit.
Ottobre 02/2017 #13 Swing top:
Measurements at the time are the same as above for pants.
Date started: 09/03/19 Date finished: 10/28/22
Size sewn: 42 shoulder, 44 bust/waist, 50 hip
Alterations: added 2” to facing hem length so it wouldn’t cut me in the middle of the bust – well now my bust has grown with my weight, and it cuts me right in the middle.
Sewing: sewing the straps were a major pain in the ass with this silky, slippery fabric. Stuffing them into the back “holes” between the fabric and facing were a total challenge. Many swear words ensued.
I sewed a rolled hem instead of a flip and flip hem because I thought it would be easier on this silky, slippery fabric. I thought it would make the hem flare out cute too.
On the facing hem I did do a flip, flip and sew tiny ¼” hem.
Because the neck was already sewn up with the facing, under stitching the facing to the armpits absolutely sucked and was darn near impossible.
Fabric: 2 yards of the same fabric as for pants
Thoughts: Well, this is the right type of fabric for this pj set but I hated sewing with it. It was such a pain. I do love the pants. They are fun and slippery to wear. The top seems huge and sack-like. It is not very flattering at all. I’m not sure how I feel about it yet. I’ll give it a wear for awhile before I decide. I think that now that I gained weight I’m not used to my body or comfortable with it. My bust has grown quite a bit and it makes the tops seem huge and sack-like on me, while it eliminates my waist. I must fit the bust and this makes the waist bigger. Back in 2019 when I started this my bust was 39 inches. It had been that way for a long time, and I was used to it. Now here in 2022 I have a 42” bust and those 3” make a big difference, lol. My waist went from a stable 32” to a thyroid belly of 39” – that’s been the hardest to accept.
Ottobre 02/2017 #11 – Tee Shirt Dress
Made once before in June 2018, my blue crosses nightgown. If I fit in it, I would still wear it. I love it.
My measurements at the time: 38 high bust, 42 bust, 38.5 waist, 49 hips
Started and finished sewing: 10/31/22
Size Sewn: Bust 46, Waist 50, Hip 52
Alterations: I didn’t sew this with bindings, I used neckbands (at ½”) and sleeve bands (at ¾”)
1/2” forward shoulder adjustment
After sewing I tried it on and it was way too big in the neck and bust so I took out 2” at the neck tapering down 11” to 0 at about the waist area. In the future I would make the bust 44 and the waist 48 instead of 46/50. (left picture above is before altering when it was way too big. right picture is the pieces I took out from neck to about waist. I basically made a dart in the center back).
Instructions: This is a simple T-shirt dress. I sewed it up without looking at the instructions. It was super-fast.
Fabric: 2 yards - White/Fuchsia/Turquoise/Multi 100% Cotton Plus Sign Design Interlock Knit; purchased Feb 2018 in Fabric Mart’s wonderful precut sale. 2 yards for $3.20 total. (Please bring back the precut sale!!).
Thoughts: I made this for a nightgown, I love it for that purpose. Let’s be real here, I don’t leave the house unless I have a doctor’s appointment, so many times I just wear the nightgown all day. It is soft and comfortable, easy to throw on and go. The interlock is thicker and less stretchy than most knits, but it works well in this dress. I have no complaints!
Health and Life update:
Wow, we have had a hard couple months here in the SunnySewing house. I feel like I say that all the time, but really, these last 3 months have been hard. So my soulmate, love of my life, Cheeto had to have Knee,acl surgery in November. I embroidered his soft cone, but funny enough, he was never interested in licking his leg so he wore it maybe 2 hours and one night.
Now this surgery is a 3 month recovery and that all falls on me…… To make this worse, the VERY SAME DAY Kiela came down with Covid….. 3 days later I got it…. and 2 days later my husband got it. It was ROUGH. a dog with recent surgery and 3 people so sick they couldn't get out of bed. we were all miserable. We all had our vaccinations and boosters but man that stuff hit us HARD and FAST and omg it lasted forever. I think I’m finally ( a month later) back to my normal cruddy self. Now sadly the worst part. My husbands Grandma that I love dearly passed away just as we were getting over Covid. She lost her battle with cancer. It was so sad and so hard. During Christmas I kept reaching for the phone to call her, text her, ask her questions or share what decorations of hers we put up (as we called her every year about these things). I loved her as my own Grandma, she was the best. Oh, and Tayden (now 20yrs old), moved out with his friend to be closer to college. I thought I would be more happy about that but I’m so worried and its weird with him gone from the house.
So yeah, not so fun stuff around here. that covid knocked me so hard I haven’t been able to do much these last 2 months in my sewing room. But I have a backlog again of projects to share. And Feb 28 I have my yearly MRI to see what George the Tumor is up too.
I hope all is well with all of you and that you had wonderful holidays!
Happy Sewing!
Kristin
