Sewing Scientist

Sew Beautiful Taktsang

A few weeks ago I showed you a few of my makes from the new book from Kennis Wong Sew Beautiful: Make Stylish Handmade Clothing with Simple Stitch-and-Wear Patterns (Sew Beautiful to be brief). Since then, I have been busy making a few more items from that book. This is the Taktsang Dolman Wrap and it's paired with the wide leg version of the Fortuna Pants (blog about those will be on Sly Fox Fabrics on December 8, 2020).

I think this is my absolute favorite make from the Sew Beautiful Book to date.

The Taktsang Dolman Wrap is for woven fabrics. I was making a size 8 graded to a size 12 hip and needed between 2 3/4 and 2 7/8 yards of fabric if using 54" wide fabric. I didn't find anything in my stash that spoke to me, so I went to My Fabric Designs to find a design.

I knew that I wanted the Faux Linen Slub. I had previously purchased the Faux Linen Slub for another project and loved how luxurious it looked and felt. This base has a printable area that is 42" wide. I'm also short and knew I'd be taking a little bit of length out of the top and I was hoping to find an abstract design that was non directional so that I could maximize my fabric usage.

I decided on a design by LoriBorealis (she also goes by Keweenawchris) called Stormy Silk Scarf. I'm going to try to curate my wardrobe around the colors blue and green and add in pops of Yellow and Purple. I loved that this design had many beautiful shades of blue, with a bright royal blue featuring prominently. The design brings in many other colors and I especially love the golden yellow tones in it.

I love that My Fabric Designs allows the buyer to change the scale of the design. I liked the scale that the designer had set (It fits absolutely perfect on 1 yard of the cotton silk and silk crepe de chine), however as I visualized the pattern pieces on the yardage as displayed, I wanted there to be more opportunity for variety in the design across each piece. Therefore, I scaled down the design to where each quatrefoil element was approximately an inch.

I ordered 3 yards of the Faux Linen Slub and crossed my fingers that it was going to work. The website states that the Faux Linen Slub is 100% polyester, so I didn't think there would be much shrinkage, but they indicate it can shrink 2% in length and 4.5% in width. I did not think to check my fabric for shrinkage after washing. I did quite a bit of pattern tetris, but am happy to report that I got my Taktsang out of 3 yards with a little bit left to spare. In true 2020 fashion I will likely make masks with the remainder.

The Faux Linen Slub is not a tight weave with a 90 x 90 thread count. It does have a "flowing drape" as described my My Fabric Designs and I have to agree. It has a nice feel and texture to it that I really love. The fabric is considered a midweight at 4.84 ounces per square yard. This will make my Taktsang perfect to wear year round. The Faux Linen Slub is $18.50 per yard - I think that is a great price. You can take advantage of a 15% discount using the code SS15.

For these photos I wore a camisole under my Taktsang, but in cooler weather I think it would still look great over a long sleeve tee or turtle neck. Below is a photo of my entire outfit.

The Sew Beautiful book releases on December 8th. This is a great gift for a sewist or to yourself.

Patterns included in the book:

Mornington Top & Dress
Taktsang Dolman Wrap
Prague Top & Dress
Carlsbad Cardigan
Fortuna Pants and Shorts
Castlepoint Skirt
Palermo Top & Dress
Orosi Top & Dress

The book is available as a softcover book with printed patterns that are nested (tracing will be needed) and in a digital (ebook) version with the patterns available in A4, letter, and A0 versions for printing. The book is available at the retailers below.

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Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. These links provide me with a small compensation if you make a purchase using my link. There is not cost to you when you do this. My thoughts and opinions given in this blog post are mine.

Greenstyle Cambria Top

It's not often that I buy a pattern when it's released and make it right away. When I saw the Greenstyle Cambria Top I knew immediately what fabric I was using and I needed to make it right then!

I recently received this fabric from My Fabric Designs and while I had a different top in mind initially, I just knew the Cambria Top was the best choice to show off the design when I saw it released. Every tester photo I saw of the Cambria Top was just beautiful and it was so flattering on all body shapes and sizes.

This fabric was designed by Vincent Desjardins (Vinpauld) and is called Women of Science and Learning. It's a beautiful toile design featuring some lady scientists that I have always admired. I was very pleased when I saw that Rachel Carson's portrait ended up front and center of my bodice. In high school I read her book Silent Spring and aspired to be like her and try to save the planet. While I haven't found a way to save the planet, I did become an environmental scientist and do my best to make our world a better place.

Jane Goodall is also featured and her life story has always been so inspiring to me as an animal lover. The design also include Marie Skłodowska Curie for her work on radioactivity and earning two Nobel Prizes. And many others that I won't bore you with.

I ordered the Polyester Pongee Silk. I love this base for its softness and slight sheen. It has a dressy feel and love it for making items that I will be wearing to work. My Fabric Designs describes it as a 100% microfiber polyester interlocking silk knit. It's stretchy with 50% stretch horizontally. Since it doesn't contain spandex, I would not suggest using it for fitted items.

The Cambria Top comes with many options. There are 4 top length options - high hip, low hip, banded and hemmed. I did the banded length which is cut between the high hip and low hip then a band is added. The Cambria Top also has neckline options - mock turtle neck, high crew, low crew, and wide scoop. I made the low crew. There are also fit options - FBA front piece, easy fit, and slim fit. I went for easy fit.

Then there are sleeve option. Lengths are short, 3/4, long, and with a long cuff. There are 3 sleeve styles gathered at top and bottom, pleated at top and gathered at bottom, and a Bishop sleeve which is only gathered at the bottom. This is one area where the pattern instructions could be clearer. I printed both sleeves and the pleated sleeve is easy to identify, but the other sleeve is not clearly labeled. I was thinking of doing the gathered at top and bottom sleeve, but since nothing had it clearly labeled I ended up with what ended up being the Bishop sleeve.

All sleeves are finished with a band. Since the Polyester Pongee Silk does not contain spandex, it is possible that my sleeve bands will become loose over the course of the day. I used the Pongee Silk on another top with sleeve bands for a short sleeve and have not had an issue with the fit over the day. With these bands lower on my arm where there is more movement I will have to see how it fares.

The Cambria Top is one of the Patterns of the Month for December at Greenstyle . The top has so many options and I plan to make a few more and to try the gathered sleeve and the pleated sleeve.

I also have a discount code for My Fabric Designs! You can use the code SS15 to get 15% through December 31, 2021 (this code can be used up to three times per user)! The Polyester Pongee Silk is a bargain at $15.50 per yard and even better with the discount. I also love several other bases offered.

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Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. These links provide me with a small compensation if you make a purchase using my link. There is not cost to you when you do this. My thoughts and opinions given in this blog post are mine.

Greenstyle Creations Brassie Joggers

I know I've said this before, but I'll say it again. I was never a jogger person. I never understood the appeal of wearing sweatpants. But hey - we are nearly 9 months now into a pandemic and comfort is key when working from home for most people. I'm hoping to come out of this pandemic a little lighter and healthier. I am walking daily and need to wear clothing that looks alright with my sneakers. This has meant I wore mostly leggings up to this point. But it is getting a bit cooler and I wanted something a bit warmer. That has set me on a path to find the best joggers for my body. After making my husband 2 pairs of the Greenstyle Iron Joggers (which he loves), I decided to try the Brassie Joggers for myself.

The Brassie Joggers do have more of a relaxed fit than other jogger patterns that I have tried. I'm really not a fan of the super tight joggers that are more like leggings than sweatpants.

I have big thighs and often need to do a full thigh adjustment. No adjustment needed on these babies. They had enough room from the get go. They are so relaxed, that I was even able to use some french terry from my stash with barely enough stretch.

I used a 100% cotton french terry which means it has zero recovery. I used a green supplex for the waistband (not shown due to it's mismatched state). I used scraps of this Carta Marina fabric from Zenith and Quasar from my top for the bottom cuffs. I'm short and made length adjustments, but my cuffs are not very visible when I am standing.

I'm wearing some of my favorite trail shoes from Columbia and wore this outfit to get my infusion right before Thanksgiving. I was so comfortable. I'll have to put it to the walking test soon and if it passes, I'll make another pair or two. I also did my pockets as a bagged pocket as I dislike the look of pockets sewn to the front of pants.

Sly Fox Fabrics Baby French Terry

When I got this baby french terry from Sly Fox Fabrics, I knew exactly what I wanted to make. I needed to make another Carlsbad Cardigan from the Sew Beautiful book by Kennis Wong.

This is the Jade Pepper BFT and the color is gorgeous! And yes - it matches my glasses.

This BFT is so soft and has great drape. It isn't very thick and was perfect for the Carlsbad Cardigan.

I haven't worn my contacts much this year and found that I wear a lot of teal like colors and bought these glasses because I thought they would look good with a lot of items in my closet.

I had to get a shot of my mitered corner. This pattern is so good and the corners and hemline come out so perfect!

The pandemic has really made me rethink the way I think about my clothing. So much of it now feels so unnecessary. My "work clothes" haven't been worn in over 8 months now. I wear more activewear during the week, and dress up a bit nicer in more office casual wear on the weekends and when I do have doctor appointments.

I honestly don't see a lot of that changing for at least 6 months. I will probably slow way down on my sewing of clothing. What clothing I do make I am going to put more thought into. I am thinking of only making clothing that falls within a narrow color range of blue to green. I'd also make a few pieces that fall on both sides of those on the color wheel yellow and purple, and allow neutrals of brown, black, and white.

I also have plans to begin work on a few quilts. I will probably make items for my husband and son. But I really want to spend some time working on a few other crafts and work on my textile design work.

And who knows - I might wake up tomorrow and decide to do something completely different.

Sew Beautiful Fortuna Pants and Shorts

This is my last blog post (for now) about the Sew Beautiful book release from Kennis Wong of Itch to Stitch. When Kennis had the tester call for this pattern, it was not something I was interested in making. The Fortuna pants and shorts were a jogger style pant and I NEVER wore joggers. I had made 4 pairs previously from 2 other designers and they were just not something I normally wore. I typically only wore them in the fall and winter when I was working in the yard.

Then the Pandemic happened. Since I have been working from home daily since March 12th, I've made a point to try to be more active. I wear workout clothing daily and go for a walk at lunch and when I get off work in the afternoon. So my daily wardrobe has been a tank or t-shirt with leggings and a cardigan. Now that it's getting cooler, I have been wearing more joggers with my t-shirts and cardigans.

I have also started to listen to audio books as I walk and find it\s nice to have a pocket to slip my phone into as I walk. I tend to drop my phone a lot if I'm holding it as I walk. The pockets of the Fortuna joggers are really nice with a woven detail. I feel like the woven edge of the pocket allows it to keep a great shape and lay nice and flat when worn.

I found that the leg of the Fortuna joggers were pretty slim and needed to do a full thigh adjustment on them to get the intended fit. I had to do a very generous adjustment and was worried that my crotch would end up too baggy and need more fit adjustments. So I didn't pick one of my favorite fabrics when making these Fortunas.

I used an athletic french terry that I bought a few years ago. When I received this fabric, I immediately did not like it. The terry side is very microfiber like and it is extremely clingy and staticky. I have only worn these once all day so far and I am hoping that after a few wear/wash cycles that the feeling goes away. They don't feel bad on when I'm wearing them, but you can see in my photos that the fabric is clingy. They also seemed to collect every bit of thread in the wash.

One of my favorite places to walk at lunch is around the lake in my neighborhood. It is less than 500 feet from my house and if I really hoof it, I can get all the way around and back home in just under 30 minutes. I don't walk here daily because some days my rheumatoid arthritis just says "just be happy you can walk today". I save the lake for those days when I feel really great.

The other perk of the pandemic and working from home is that I am enjoying wearing graphic t-shirts. I owned about 6 t-shirts prior to the pandemic. I am not joking. I never wore t-shirts. The few t-shirts I had I wore to workout in, and frankly - they were looking really awful. I have had fun buying new t-shirts. I have fallen in love with Fabulously Feminist t-shirts. They have amazing messages that really resonate with me. This one especially - it states "Don't be Good Be Defiant". Those that know me would probably agree.

The Fortuna Pants & Shorts also have a wide leg pant option that I have cut out, but hadn't sewn at the time of this blog. I am making them for a blog post for Minerva and will post my photos on Instagram. I am prepping to make another jogger pair with a fleece backed grey athletic knit and I'm debating on fabric to use on the pockets.

The Sew Beautiful book is currently at preorder for release on December 8th. This is a great gift for a sewist or to yourself.

Included in the book:

Mornington Top & Dress
Taktsang Dolman Wrap
Prague Top & Dress
Carlsbad Cardigan
Fortuna Pants and Shorts
Castlepoint Skirt
Palermo Top & Dress
Orosi Top & Dress

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Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. These links provide me with a small compensation if you make a purchase using my link. There is not cost to you when you do this. My thoughts and opinions given in this blog post are mine.

Sew Beautiful Carlsbad Cardigan

If you didn't see my previous post - Kennis Wong of Itch to Stitch is releasing a book! Sew Beautiful: Make Stylish Handmade Clothing with Simple Stitch-and-Wear Patterns delivers 8 patterns, each with variations, that mix and match for a wearable wardrobe. The patterns are free of zippers and buttons making them beginner friendly, yet they still contain amazing finishing details that even the experience sewist will appreciate.

The pandemic has me dressing way more differently than usual. I spend most of my time in workout cloths - tank tops and t-shirts with leggings. I get chilly very easily and can always be found wearing a cardigan while I'm working. Plus, on video it makes me look way more professional.

The Carlsbad Cardigan is nearly identical to my favorite RTW cardigans that I have been wearing. Many of my RTW cardigans are looking worn out and I was thrilled to see the Carlsbad Cardigan pattern could allow me to easily replace my old RTW ones.

I got dressed up for these photos. I'm wearing my Itch to Stitch Mountainview Pull-on Jeans and my Itch to Stitch Lago Tank (Free pattern). If I was actually going into the office for work, this is an outfit that I would wear.

I used a liverpool knit for my Carlsbad Cardigan. This liverpool knit has a cool cable knit like pattern on it and I had it earmarked in my fabric stash for a cardigan. It's absolutely perfect and this mustard color is one of my favorites to wear for fall.

You might look at the Carlsbad Cardigan and think that it's such a simple design. It is and it is such a quick and satisfying sew. Kennis must be a witch because there is some serious sorcery going on with the finishing of the hemline. I have never done a corner seam in the manner that Kennis instructs, but it is simply mind blowing.

Look how pretty this corner is! You can ignore the fact that I can't sew in a straight line. That is a double folded hem and it is absolutely perfect!

I already went through my fabric stash and pulled out a pile of fabric to use to make more Carlsbad cardigans. My pile contains a black rayon french terry, and a variety of neutral colored rayon knits that I hope will go with a lot of my wardrobe.

If you looked at my photos and thought that my sleeves were too long, you would be right. I normally would shorten the sleeves on tops to hit properly near my wrist, but I love cardigans to have longer sleeves so that I can easily tuck my hands up into the sleeves when I'm cold.

The Sew Beautiful book is currently at preorder for release on December 8th. This is a great gift for a sewist or to yourself.

Included in the book:

Mornington Top & Dress
Taktsang Dolman Wrap
Prague Top & Dress
Carlsbad Cardigan
Fortuna Pants and Shorts
Castlepoint Skirt
Palermo Top & Dress
Orosi Top & Dress

Sew Beautiful Mornington Top & Dress

Back in January I had the opportunity to work on a Secret Project for Kennis Wong for Itch to Stitch. The secret was that Kennis had a sewing pattern book in the works. The book is releasing soon and is available for preorder now. The book is Sew Beautiful and it is filled with classic everyday pieces that are beginner friendly (no buttons or zippers) and sure to get a lot of wear (classic pieces that can mix and match). I will have a series of blog posts this week highlighting some of the patterns that I made from the book.

First up is the Mornington Top & Dress. I tested this pattern somewhere around the end of 2019, early 2020. My photo data shows that I took these photos on January 12th.

The Mornington is a relaxed fit woven top or dress. The relaxed fit means there is no zipper closure to worry about. It features a flattering v neck with a waist tie. I was a bit concerned about the waist tie accentuating my belly, but I find that the relaxed fit is very flattering and the tie simply adds some waistline shaping. The pattern does have a flare sleeve option. The garment is fully lined and the instructions are so clear and easy to follow.

The back has a center seam for shaping and it also allows for a swayback adjustment if needed. I felt like I got a near perfect fit in the back. I often have to do some adjustments, but this came out so good.

I used a rayon woven by Anna Maria Horner for my Mornington and lined it with the same fabric. I was super excited with my Mornington and couldn't wait for spring time to wear it to work. Then the pandemic hit and I haven't had a reason to wear my lovely Mornington. I do hope that once the pandemic is over that I will have an opportunity to wear my Mornington to work and of course make another.

Included in the book:

Mornington Top & Dress
Taktsang Dolman Wrap
Prague Top & Dress
Carlsbad Cardigan
Fortuna Pants and Shorts
Castlepoint Skirt
Palermo Top & Dress
Orosi Top & Dress

I have blogs already scheduled for the Carlsbad Cardigan and the Fortuna Pants. I have plans to make almost every pattern in this book. They are all beautiful pieces and the finishing on them is sure to make any sewist of any skill level thrilled with their final item.