McCalls 7948 version 2

Having spent weeks knitting the fairisle top I wanted to make something which would be quick!  So this is another version of the McCalls dress I wrote about here.  This is made from an Alexander Henry quilting weight fabric which I bought years ago, probably mail ordered from the States because I had 3.2m of it (which is 3.5 yards).  That's not a length I would buy from a vendor who sells using metric measurements.

I used the whole length for this dress.  I recut the back bodice to be in two parts with a centre seam, and also brought the side seams in from the last version I made, and made the neckline a bit wider.  So this is a real mish-mash - size 14 shoulders / bodice length, size 10 armholes and size 12 side seams.  Rather than use the pattern pieces the skirt is two 26" long full widths of the fabric and the frill uses three 13" full widths.  This means there is slightly more fabric in both the skirt and the frill than would be the case if I'd used the pattern pieces, but I didn't want any leftover fabric and doing this meant that I used the entire 3.2m.  I also added Felicia pockets as before.

I'm really pleased with this - I probably won't wear it until the spring, but I'm glad to have finally sewn up this fabric!

1940s fairisle top

I've been meaning to knit a fairisle top for ages and just never really got around to it.  Watching the new version of All Creatures Great and Small inspired me to get on with doing it now.

Tristram in a very fetching jumper

This was another stashbusting project, I've had the wool I used for this for ages - four colours are leftovers from projects I've made already - one jumper and three different cardigans.  The other colours I bought separately with a fairisle top in mind, and they've been in my stash for a good few years.

I tried a few different colour combinations before I settled on the final versions 

I charted out the pattern, because I thought it would be easier to follow a colour chart than written instructions (I find lace knitting much easier when it's charted rather than following long line by line rows of text).

I used a different colour for the ribbing - the pattern uses the same colour for the ribbing and the main colour - because I didn't have enough of the darker blue to do that.  Because I used eight different colours and most of the colour changes were on an odd number of rows which meant I couldn't carry the wool up the sides, there were an inordinate number of ends to sew in.  I don't think it took as long to sew the seams, add the armhole and neckline ribbing and sew the ends in as it took to knit it, but it felt like it!

I have quite a few vintage fairisle patterns and I think they look lovely, but it may be a while until I knit one with sleeves unless the patterning means I can carry the yarn up, or I can adapt the pattern to be knit in the round.

And finally, I have three cardigans which I can wear with it!

Zigzag dress

This is from a pattern which I bought this year which I though would be ideal for floaty dresses for hot summer days.

I modified the bodice because I wanted it to just go over my head rather than have the button closure which is in the pattern.  This necessitated lowering and widening the neckline.  I also cut a larger size than I usually would because I wanted to be able to wear it over jumpers during the winter.  However... when I quickly tried it on having just sewn the shoulder seams, it was clear that there was too much width of fabric across my upper chest, so I cut the armholes two sizes smaller and that solved that issue.  Another modification was that I lengthened the frill  to make use of the full length of the fabric (3m), which I bought several years ago from Classic Textiles on the Goldhawk Road in London.  Rather than cut three frill pieces per the pattern I just used two full widths of the fabric, so in all there was 12" less fullness.

I cut the back bodice in one piece and lined rather than faced the bodice because this fabric is quite fine and I felt lining it would give it a better structure than just facing the neckline and binding the armholes (also, I didn't have any bias binding the right colour).

This meant that I had to pin the armholes together and topstitch them rather than sewing everything inside out and then turning it through.  This was a faff, so next time I make this pattern I'll put a seam in the centre back.  The pattern pieces for the pockets were for the other version of the skirt and wouldn't have worked with this one so I used the pockets from Tessuti Felicia which were what I had to hand.

Other changes for next time I make this - reverse the proportions of the skirt and the frill - I think it would look better with a longer skirt and shorter frill - and take the bodice side seams in.  I'm sure there will be summery versions of this next year.

Autumn rainbow jumper

This is the second version I've knitted of this pattern and I really like it!

I used the same wool as for the first one (Malabrigo sock), but in a different selection of colours.  I tried a few colour sequences before settling on one.

After a few inches I decided that I would change the sequence - cue rather a lot of unravelling, but I'm glad I did since I'm very pleased with how it turned out.

I've still got enough of this wool to knit another multicoloured top, but I'm undecided yet whether it will be another one of these, or whether I'll use a different pattern.

60s floral maxi

I bought this fabric several years ago from Remnant Kings - and I've had it so long I can't remember whether I bought it in Glasgow or Edinburgh.  Sadly, I see that Remnant Kings closed down earlier this year.  Anyway... it stayed in my stash while I dithered about what to make with it.  In the end, I decided on a maxi.  This is a pattern combo I've made before - it's a modified bodice from Simplicity 2886 - I altered the neckline at the back to not be full height (much less faff for zipping up) and the skirt is from Simplicity 1801.  However, for this dress I added pockets since this fabric was wide enough to allow for that.

I really love this dress and I'm sure it'll get plenty of wear all year round - with a thin jumper underneath in the winter and on its own when the weather warms up.

Purple skirt

Having reviewed my autumn wardrobe I felt I could do with another skirt, and that's how this came about.  I bought the fabric years ago in Fabricland intending to make a dress from it, but never got around to it so decided it was time to use it for a skirt instead.

The pattern I used was a vintage New Look / Maudella one, from the 80s I'm guessing, by the hairstyles of the models on the cover!

I made the four-gore option and there's not really anything to say about the construction - it was straightforward.

I've already worn it a few times, and it will be just as useful in summer with bare legs as it is now with tights and boots.

Brown gingham dress

Having done no knitting or sewing over the summer, I started sewing this dress over the bank holiday weekend and finished it yesterday afternoon.  I came across this pattern while noodling around Instagram and seeing a version which someone else had made and deciding that I wanted to sew it too.

 

The fabric is cotton gingham from Fabworks and it was lovely to sew with.  I cut out the medium size and made a couple of changes - the sleeves are from view B / C / D but lengthened by 6" and with the edge binding from view A.  While I like the look of these voluminous sleeves I know that I would end up catching them on something, so decided on a compromise and am pleased with how they've turned out.  The second change I made was to the length.  I wanted a slightly below mid-calf finished length so used the maxi skirt piece but shortened it by 10+" and then did a 4" hem.  I also added pockets in the side seams of the skirt - I used pattern pieces from the Felicia dress because those are what I happened to have to hand. 

I'll probably make another version of this because I like how it's turned out, and maybe cut the skirt pieces full length and then do some pin tucks to end up with a wearable length.

This dress will be great in summer when all you want is a loose cover-up, but I'll also wear it in winter with a polo-neck jumper underneath and boots, so it'll get plenty of wear.

Me made May 2020 - better late than never!

Well, this is being published months late, however I would like a record of it on here, so here is a quick summary.

This year we were in the middle of lockdown because of the Covid-19 pandemic, so I was working at home and it would have been easy to just wear PJs all day (except for the video meetings of course), but I think that would have been a cop out, plus I have far more dresses than PJs...

The month started off cold, but warmed up as it progressed so there was a mixture of woolly jumpers and cardigans and cotton dresses during the month.  My pledge was to finish the top I was already knitting and to make a dress and I'm pleased that I got both those things done.  So, without further ado, here are the outfits.

Days 1 - 6

Days 7 - 12

Days 13 - 18

Days 19 - 24

 

Days 25 - 28

Days 29 - 31

I did quite a lot of local walking during May, and just for a change from knitting and sewing content, here are some of the photos I took - some from plants in my garden, some from my amblings.

 

And that was me-made May 2020!

Felicia dress

Last summer I decided that I would like to make a few loose fit dresses for hot days when a dress with a fitted bodice is not the ideal choice.  This is a Tessuti Felicia and I bought it together with their Lisa dress, which I'd seen some lovely versions of on Instagram.  I hope to make one of those soon.

I've had fabric for a while and had originally planned to use it for something else, but I hadn't got around to that plan so I used it for this.

I followed the pattern instructions exactly except for the waistline seam which I did as 5/8" rather than 1/2" to make the gathering easier, and I did a 2 1/4" hem instead of 1 1/2".  It was a straightforward sew apart from the pockets, which, for a bit of top stitching, were more faff than I could be bothered with (although I did), so when I next make this pattern I'll just do straightforward pocket insertions.  I'm really pleased with it and it's going to be lovely and cool in hot weather - I hope the glorious sunshine we've had for the last three weeks continues into June, July and August!

Pink and yellow Greta top

Undeterred by all the sewing in of ends on my Rainbow jumper the next thing I knitted also had rather a lot of ends... I used a gradient set which I bought at the Edinburgh Yarn Festival three years ago and the same yarn in a yellow which I bought from the same vendor at Unravel four years ago.  I love this pattern and I knitted it pretty much as written although I changed the neckline in the same way as this one which I knitted two years ago.  Fortunately I'd written down what I did and kept it!

This one is also made with a wool / silk mix yarn, although this one has more wool and less silk.

This is the pattern I used - so pretty. 

I've got quite a bit of the yellow left because I bought two skeins, so I might make a cardigan to match at some point.  I've also got a couple of other skeins of this yarn - one is natural cream and the other is a pink variegated so I may knit another of these tops - it's lovely and lightweight.

1940s Rainbow jumper

This was my next knitting project and was made from Malabrigo sock yarn in six colours (Ivy, Cote d'Azure, Impressionist Sky, Terracotta, Chocolate Amargo and Sand bank).

I've seen several versions of this pop up on my Instagram feed over the years, and it's also appeared in various guises on TV and film (JoJo Rabbit, Miss Marple A Murder is Announced - Geraldine McEwan version, and Housewife 49 spring to mind).

I made it slightly larger than the pattern (wider and longer) and I also changed the neckline and shoulders slightly so that I didn't have to bother with putting buttons on - it just goes straight over my head.  It was an easy knit and a great stashbuster, although there were an awful lot of ends to weave in even with carrying the yarn up the side!  I've got lots of odds and ends of leftovers from other projects so it's quite likely I'll make at least one more - the pattern also has a long-sleeved option so I might do that next time...

ETA July 2020 - pattern is available online free from Theodora's blog, or if you would like a pdf, it is available for purchase from Subversive Femme,and My Vintage Wish on Etsy. 

Dayflower cardigan

This was the first thing I knitted this year - I took a break from knitting in January and finished this in early March.  I can't remember now where I saw this colourway (it's Madeline Tosh sock), but I know that I liked it and bought some online two years ago before the prices went up dramatically and it's sat in my stash ever since.  I decided it was high time to knit it up!

I did have some other plans for it originally, but changed my mind and so I had a look through my stitch dictionaries to find a pattern that I liked and this was what I settled on.  The stitch pattern is called drooping dayflower, and it's from The Knitter's Stitch Collection by Lesley Stanfield and Melody Griffiths (other retailers are available).  There are lots of stitch patterns in this book and I've used quite a few over the years.

It was an easy knit and I followed my usual template for cardigans which I knit without a pattern - knitted bottom-up in one piece to the armholes, create fake side seams and split for the back and fronts and work them separately.  Seam the shoulders and pick up and knit the sleeves top down.  The button band is picked up and knitted on.

The buttons are vintage although I can't remember now where I bought them.

I love this, it's a great colour for spring!

Knitting and sewing plans for 2020

A little later than planned... life has been very busy over the past few weeks and although I started writing this in November it now needs finalising.

OK, I'll start with the knitting plans.  Having managed to knit entirely from stash during 2019 (apart from the Christmas jumper for my grandson), I'm planning to do the same again this year.

I'd like to knit two projects which are carried forward from last year - the pale yellow and pale green cardigans (here), and one from 2018 - the vintage V-striped top.  Also, some more 1940s tops with lots of colours to use up the various part-balls of wool I have amassed over the years.

These are the patterns that are in the running

Your Victory jumper

Rainbow jumper

Waffle jumper

Colourblock jumper

I've seen several versions of the above three designs knitted by people I follow on Instagram and they look just fabulous - at the moment I'm not sure how I'll choose which colours to use!

I'd also like to knit another feather and fan top - again, not sure which colours I  would use, and another Greta top, using an as yet undecided combination from the yarns below.

One of the fairisle patterns from Home Fires - I think aiming for more than one would be overoptimistic sadly;

a cabled cardi - there are currently two options in the running for this - Rowan Scottish Tweed 4 ply

for a pattern from Woman's Weekly 13 July 1940

and bright blue Drops Baby Merino, possibly for this pattern, but I might make a different cardi with this wool...

And a jumper from this gorgeous wool / silk mix yarn although I haven't decided on a pattern yet - possibly I'll make one up with the help of a stitch dictionary.

Currently I'm leaning towards reproducing this - from the first episode of series 5 of Foyle's War, but we'll see - it might end up being a much plainer design!

Also, a cardigan or jumper from this wool which I bought at Unravel a couple of years ago

A cream coloured plain jumper,  probably from one of these patterns

Also a Cockatoo Brae cardigan by Kate Davies (maybe... might do it as a jumper instead), and a Minerva cardigan by Helene Arnesen.

There is absolutely no way I'll knit all of this in one year, but I hope to at least get some of it done!

Sewing

Well, as it turned out, I focused on sleeveless, pleated skirt dresses last year and suspect the same may happen again this year, but I would also like to make a couple of blouses, shirtdresses and the other items which were in last year's plan but didn't get sewn.  As with the knitting I'm aiming to only sew from stash again this year.