Monday, July 27, 2015

summer navy


Here are some pics of the navy shrug that I made last Friday. It was made for me in the first place, but it became my daughter's in the exact moment that I asked her if she liked it. It's Okay and I'm happy with it, well, it looks better on her anyway.


This is my second 'SAKI's Shrug' and I made it without any special pattern. I cut the fabric for getting some certain sizes of rectangles, and jointed them to make a simple shrug. Please have a look at my fist version in this old blog post if you're interested in making your own version. There are some pictures that might be useful in the post. Saki gave me the dimensions of rectangles and I found them perfect, so I can recommend them to anyone who would like to try it. Regarding the fabrics to use, I can tell you that softer knit fabrics tend to give better results.


Talk to you soon!

Love,
yoshimi



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Navy Linen Shrug
pattern: SAKI's shrug, sewn with overlocker, see dimensions in this blog post and in the old blog post.
fabric: Linen knit, soft, loose, very stretchy, little recovery, navy blue, a bit shiny.
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Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Simple


I sewed another shirt using Alder shirt dress pattern from Grainline Studio. This time it was made as a simple sleeveless shirt. I chopped off the lower half of the pattern and used the rest of it practically without modification. If I say something special about it, it would be that it is missing one of the pockets and the collar due to the fabric shortage but it has got a small embroidery in the chest as if it is compensating the missing parts.


Ah, you have to be informed that I was a teen when I embroidered the last time. I find that all my humble skill in embroidery has been lost by now. Now I can do it only humorously.


The shirt is pretty, and comfortable in the hot weather too.


*
This year in Japan, the rainy season was suddenly taken over by hot days and the summer started without delay. At this moment I'm struggling with this hotness more than usual (I'm a snowman, in case you don't know me), as we didn't have enough time for adapting to the heat.



**
By the way, on this coming weekend, I will attend a casual one-hour workshop for tie dying dyeing. I'm going to attend it with one of my sewing good friends and we will learn how to tie and dye, as beginners. I'm so excited! Hopefully I will come home with something good enough to show you in the blog post. Wish me luck, please :)

Hope you're having a beautiful day!


Love,
yoshimi


=====
Simple sleeveless shirt
pattern: Alder from Grainline Studio, with size adjustments (raised armhole base and shortened shoulder width).
fabric: Lightweight linen woven fabric, pale pink brown, with off white pinstripes. Slightly sheer but can be worn as a single layer. Crisp and casual. Not too coarse. Typical linen plain woven. Same fabric was used in this shirt.
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Tuesday, July 14, 2015

two small things

Hello!


I sewed two easy garments for hot weather over this weekend. I used two pieces of my recent holiday fabric consequence already! They're both very simple but they are one and only kind of things that were made especially for me. Can I still count it as luxury? :)



1. Batwing top
I love batwing tops but it is sometimes annoying that their hems are creeping up above the waist when I raise my arm(s) up. For this top, I lengthened the side seam by slash-open method, by 3cm, to give it a little extra margin to accommodate my action.

It's a small addition to the pattern and I think more logical fitting alterations will be needed if the side seam is lengthened heavily. I mean, I avoided it and took an easy way.

The shoulder lines in the garment sit OK after modification. I got more range of motion for reaching to high shelves too. This simple batwing tee pattern is my old and trusty pattern (no longer available) from the blog "Love Sewing!".

This is my favorite necklace. Summer tops need to go well with it.



2. Cache-cœur sleeveless shirt
Using Alder pattern from Grainline Studio, I sewed a crossover shirt in a light brown/pink linen fabric. I put some extra width to it at the hem, so that the both ends of plackets can be buttoned on at sides to make a crossover.


ah, yes, too much smiling

I am not sure whether I was successful about my version of this crossover, however, I am very much likely to wear it often because I love this linen on my complexion. I'm trying to think that this shirt has an unusual shape from the beginning and no one would notice anything extra strange.

... Maybe I should have tried one Alder without modification first in this fabric (it is really likely so as it seems a very good pattern), or maybe I should have bought one of those commercial crossover shirt patterns. Said that, I think I'd try Alder without weird modifications before long and everything will be under control, hehehe.



Did you sew something over the weekend? Just checking! (^_^)


Love,
yoshimi



=====
Batwing top
pattern: Batwing tunic PDF download (no longer available) from Love Sewing!
fabric: Lightweight cotton jersey, probably polyester blend. Stretches mildly. Slightly stiff and springy. Smooth. Not sheer.

Cache-cœur sleeveless shirt
pattern: Alder from Grainline Studio, heavily modified. Size and shape adjusted for my body type too (raised armhole base, shortened shoulder width and some minor adjustments) .
fabric: Lightweight linen woven fabric, pale pink brown, with off white pinstripes. Slightly sheer but can be worn as a single layer. Crisp and casual. Not too coarse. Typical linen plain woven.


White baggy pants
pattern: Joker from Tamanegi-kobo. The pattern is one of my best favorites of all sewing patterns. I chose one larger size than usual to get loose fitting.
fabric: Cotton linen white stretch, bottom weight. Casual.
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additional pic (2015/July/16)

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Sheer Libby Skirt


Hello!

I really like Libby A-line skirt pattern from Tessuti, especially the long version. In April, I made this Libby and since then it has become one of my staples. It is easy to wear and something pretty. As the fabric was sheer light polyester, I lined it with an anti-transparency cupro but made the lining much shorter than usual to give some fun effect.



There is not much to tell about this skirt because it hasn't got many alterations. That is fine by me, because I don't require complications when they are already alright.





***
By the way, I had a short trip to Shikoku with my sewing girlfriends a week ago. Shikoku is the smallest island of the four main islands of Japan and is located in southern part of our country. The weather was spotlessly fine while we were there, and we had the most happy and fun short holiday by the Pacific Ocean.

There we stopped by (I'm writing as if it wasn't the main subject of this holiday, but it was of course) a fabric store at which we normally purchase fabrics on line. The owner lady of the shop is one of my favorite people in the world and I was really happy to see her again after the last couple of years.

I think there is no need to explain to you that I bought quite a few pieces of fabrics... I'm so looking forward to sewing with them before long.



Friends were having fun with a photo session on the beach.

From behind someone photographed me who was photographing those who were having a photo session on the foreshore. Very 21st century.

We visited many sightseeing places.

Udon noodles :)

lot of Ice creams
(actually this one was Chigu's, not mine)

And a mountain of my fabric, yeah



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Pattern: Libby A-line skirt (PDF free download) from Tessuti fabrics. Lined.
Fabrics
Shell: polyester light fabric, sheer, colorful.
Lining: Cupro, light gray, anti-transparency.
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I wish you're having a very lovely week, I squeak :)


XOXO
yoshimi