Lazy Daze

I hate cutesy puns. Most crochet designers, it seems, do not. I found this out when I went on a search for some new crochet patterns to practice on. It's so easy and fun to just follow instructions of other people's patterns. When I'm designing my own I never have any idea what I'm doing or what happens next or which way is up or what I just crocheted, I'm just groping around, hoping it all works out. Sometimes it does and most of the time it just doesn't. So I wanted to take a break by making someone else's pattern, which brings us back to the puns. I present to you the "Lazy Daze of Summer" crochet top. I know, I know, it sounds hopelessly cheesy, but the picture looked pretty cool. I also wanted to see if I could successfully execute an "experienced" level pattern. Lazy Daze is a cropped short sleeve top with some interesting stitch details made in a fine weight yarn (#2). I didn't notice the pattern specified #2 weight yarn until I was halfway done using #4 weight yarn. My first tip: read your pattern in its entirety before you start anything. Be smart and don't follow my example.

Here's the beginning of the front, a semicircle.

The back and front pieces are similar, but the back is bigger. Here's the back with the left side complete. I think this is one of the reasons the pattern was labeled "experienced"--it described in detail the steps necessary to complete the right side, then said, "fasten off and do the same thing to the left side, but in reverse." It was a confusing and a bit improvisational. 

Here's the complete front piece. Hard to tell where it's going from here, isn't it? I thought so too. 

Here's the left sleeve.

...and the right. After the front, back, and sleeves were complete, the pieces were sewn together and I edged around the neckline, hem, and sleeves, which resulted in...

This. I was pretty happy with it. It certainly has that freshly handcrafted folksy crochet feel (as most crocheted garments do), but I figured I could edge it out a little bit. I guess you could say that's what my tattoos are for. Here's the back:

I bet you're wondering what it looks like on. 

Not bad, right? 

I really wish I had read the instructions right and made it out of the proper weight yarn, because it's rather bulky. A bit more suited for fall, I think. Unless by "Lazy Daze of Summer" they mean "Passing Out because You're Essentially Wearing an Afghan Around Your Top Half in the 90 Degree Heat." 

I had a lot of fun on this project. I still hate puns, though. They're sew irritating. 

 I promise I won't wait as long to post again--thanks for hanging in there! And as always, thanks for stopping by. 

Also, to give credit where credit is due, today's pattern can be found here.

Someone Else's Stash

Last summer on my 25th birthday, I received one of the most amazing gifts I've ever gotten from Mr. N and his whole family--Grandma V's Singer sewing machine.

At first I thought it was just a sewing table, but hiding inside is the most beautiful machine I've ever seen.

The details are incredible:

I was completely overwhelmed by such an incredibly beautiful, historic, and personal gift. But it got better. Inside the drawers were all kinds of notions neatly packed and stored for use.

 

Bias tape, bra straps, hooks and eyes, all neatly packaged and organized. Thanks, by the way, for ignoring my big crazy foot and my own disorganized stash on the right.

An old ruler.

Various belt buckles.

Lots of thread, old and new(ish).

I'll never know what Dennison gummed labels are, because this box was filled with small metal parts.

And my favorite item, elastic. Specifically "woven elastic for hose supporters/bras." 29 cents.

It's so cool to have a peek into history, when sewing was a necessity instead of the hobby/lost art it is today. I consider myself a decent seamstress but I'm spoiled by my electric machine. I tried sewing with the foot pedal and, well, it takes more than a little finesse. I know Grandma V could sew circles around me.

Thanks, Mr. N and family, for this incredible gift, and thanks, Grandma V, for passing your stash along to me. I've never met you but I feel like I know you a little bit.

Upgrade

It's been a shamefully long time since I've posted and I apologize! So many things have been going on for Mr. N and I, namely our move to a new apartment in Logan Square! We love it, and we keep saying to each other, "I feel like we're staying at someone else's place who has a way nicer apartment than we do." We're thrilled. It's a little bit bigger, a little bit nicer, and a little bit closer to the train (not to mention a little bit more expensive). The neighborhood's also a little bit rougher, or "less gentrified" if we're being polite ("up and coming," "in transition"--we watch too much HGTV), but we love it. We're not in Bucktown anymore, Toto! With more space comes--that's right--a bigger sewing room! My studio has officially graduated from a .5 bedroom to a full one. Remember my old room?

...It was a bit cramped (I sewed in the closet). Behold the new space!

We have a little unpacking to do yet, so thanks for ignoring the mess. I've got a lot of cool things going on design-wise and I can't wait to show you! Check back soon. Before I leave you, though, here are some shots of Don Leon helping with the move:

And my personal favorite, courtesy of Mr. N:

Colonel Mustard in the workroom with the hook

At long last I am proud to present to you the completed Mustard dress! I realize that's not the most flattering name, but I happen to love mustard and am not willing to think of anything more cutesy at this point. But before the big payoff, let me take you back to the beginning. Remember this sleeve?

While sleeves by themselves are great, I was looking for a bit more in this dress. I started at the hem and worked my way up.

While that's progress, I also prefer my dresses to have a...(ahem) bodice.

Great! Now all we need is a back, and we're set.

This dress was rather difficult in how many times I had to crochet several inches and then rip them out and go back again. But that's what this process is about! It's really exciting when it all comes together:

It still has some flaws that need to be worked out, but there you have it! By the way, it's definitely a fall dress. It's rather warm. Thanks to Lion Brand Yarn for the awesome yarn. Love that Vanna's Choice!

Thanks for checking in! Hope you like it!

Lady Justice

As some of you know, when I'm not sewing and crocheting, I'm probably at my job at Chicago-Kent College of Law. While my job is incredibly menial (copying, proofreading, printing, teaching computer basics to professors, un-jamming staplers), it does have its perks. Mr. N and my friend Lauren and I experienced the best of these perks this past weekend when we attended the Barrister's Ball (also known as Law School Prom) onboard the Odyssey II for a dinner cruise.

Never one to shy away from a fancy occasion, I immediately began thinking about what to make. I challenged myself to use only fabrics and notions I already had on hand. This was rather difficult considering the only fabrics I had enough of to make a dress were several yards of various silk brocades I acquired while working as an intern for prom dress designer Loralie. Loralie hadn't wanted to use these fabrics, so she gave them to me. Silk brocade, while beautiful, has a tendency to be extremely colorful, over the top, and difficult to work with. Since taste and elegance were the name of the game I had to carefully consider this design. I also only had a week to do it. Something about this fabric made me think retro '60s vibe a la Mad Men (which is extremely hot right now, for good reason). While I don't have many pictures of the brief process, here's the dress near completion:

I hated this pretty pretty princess fabric before I started working with it, but I grew to really enjoy its gold shimmer. Here's a detail shot of the neckline:

The gold band is simply the wrong side of the fabric. It worked out beautifully!

Here's Lauren and I walking down Navy Pier to the boat:

Mr. N and I waiting to board:

And, finally, the best thing to do while you're drinking champagne on a yacht:

Ahh, the glamorous life. We're so glad we (did not) attend law school.

Quickie

In the two years Mr. N has been with a fashion designer, he has never received a custom made garment. I'm not too great with the menswear, granted, but it was high time he reaped the rewards of being so incredibly supportive of my craft habit. Quite a while ago we picked out some fabric for a suit vest for him, but said vest never got made. I asked him several weeks ago what he wanted for his birthday, and he said, "Why don't you just make me that vest?" Since he had a vest he already liked and fit well, I committed the designer sin of simply copying the pattern. I must say, it was pretty great. So easy! Here's the original:

Please note the unsmiling "before" picture.

I simply copied the shape of the vest pieces onto paper for the pattern and made a muslin to ensure proper fit. Here's the muslin:

"You didn't get my skiier pajama pants in the shot, did you?"

"Wait, did Butler just score?"

Oops, there he goes to watch the game. Oh well.

The vest construction itself was simple. The challenge came in the form of buttonholes. Since my buttonholer is broken, I decided to do bound buttonholes. Here they are finished:

They're by no means perfect (or perfectly spaced), but they came out pretty well. Definitely a challenge. I hand finished them on the back:

If you're having trouble seeing, click on the picture for a closer view.

Finally, after a day of hand finishing at work, it was done.

The "after" picture:

Yes, he is looking very dapper. And to my great delight, he wore it twice last week!

Happy Birthday, darling. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me.

Coming soon: The conclusion of the yellow dress. I can't wait to show you how it turned out!

Portrait of a Sleeve

After my first successful crochet pattern, the Gia tank, I decided to challenge myself by writing a dress pattern--no easy feat. I didn't really have any idea how to start the dress itself, so I started with a sleeve. The sleeve in my head was a puff sleeve that ended just above the elbow. I experimented with different textures and found one that pleased me, the petite popcorn stitch. I began with a sample of the stitch:

I was happy with this texture, so I continued by making a paper sleeve pattern and crocheting a piece to fit the pattern, recording everything I did as I went.

Just in case you can't read it, here's the closeup:

As you can see, this process quite often drives me bonkers. I hope I'll find more organized ways to develop the initial pattern as I get better at this, but for now it's chicken scratch. Here's how the piece ended up, after I gathered the top edge and sewed the side together:

Not bad...but it was a bit long and I was hoping the shoulder would be a bit more puffy. It's also a bit loose fitting, which I didn't really like. So, back to the drawing board (scratching post?). Instead of making another sample I decided to start crocheting in the actual yarn I was using, Lion Brand's Vanna's choice (yes, that Vanna!). It's a good thing I did, because the Vanna's Choice was a medium worsted weight yarn and the white shown above is a light weight yarn, a fact that didn't really occur to me when I started. So as I used the VC I realized it was much thicker. Once I realized this it became apparent that I would have to start completely over. I could still use the initial pattern as a reference point, though, so I could more easily shorten the pattern, tighten it a little, and puff up the shoulder. I made the new sleeve, and voila:

As you can see, the yarn is much chunkier. The color, Mustard, is one of my favorites! Much more fun to look at than white. Here's a closer look:

I like that it's chunkier, it's a little more kitschy and retro. All right, sleeve complete! Kind of makes me wish you could just wear a pair of sleeves, but that would cause quite a sensation. More dress to come.