Knit Fix

Hey guys! I hope everyone is having a good start to your November.  This month is actually going to be crazy busy for me at work and as much as I like to appreciate the moment and all that jazz I'll be extremely grateful to see the back of November! But enough about my "real life" (my "Clark Kent" if you will) let's talk about something equally as fascinating - the weather! In case you're wondering - yes, it's totally still warm enough to wear this getup! Summer 4eva!!! Actually this warm weather is putting quite the damper on my Fall/Winter sewing plans.  Eh. Who am I kidding? It's putting no damper on my sewing plans, only on my wearing-what-I-sew plans. But, like, it's gotta get cold at some point, right? Lifelong Texans don't answer that...

Well now we got the chit-chat out of the way, let's move onto the good stuff - this romper! Do you call it a romper or a playsuit? Or just a short jumpsuit? Well whatever it is, it's pretty freaking fun to wear!

A little while ago Girl Charlee contacted me to see if I would be interested in doing a sponsored post with them.  Y'all know that besides my deal with Mood I don't really do that sort of thing.  I get approached a lot, but often say 'no' because I'm just not really interested. But, like Mood, I always liked Girl Charlee and it's been one of the places that I've bought fabric from in the past. I think they have a great selection of affordable knits.  They carry woven fabrics too, but I'll always think of them as the place to pick up knits in cute patterns.  So I said yes because, duh, free fabric! And for the sake of transparency I'm just gonna put it out there that, yes, this post is sponsored. I received free fabric in exchange for making up something of my choosing and writing about it. Obviously all opinions are my own.

So what did I get?! Okay, this is why I was really intrigued about this particular idea. It wasn't just "hey pick some fabric and we'll send it to you and you make something".  The lovely people at Girl Charlee wanted to send me one of their monthly KnitFix bundles.  This is a selection of fabrics that they cull each month and send to you in a very cute tote, and it's totally a surprise! You don't know what you're gonna get! But chances are, you'll like most of what they send you, and the element of surprise itself is kind of awesome.  It's really like receiving a present in the mail.  I'll admit I kind of had a fear that they would just send some bolt ends and odd things they were trying to get rid of, but after receiving my bundle I can vouch for the fact that what you receive is a thoughtful curation of knits in a variety of fibers and prints, and all in a very useable 2 yard cuts.

In my October bundle I received (from left to right) a fuschia and teal floral jersery rayon spandex, a blurred magenta print jersey rayon blend knit, a brown and white stripe cotton jersey, a red and blue plaid jersey rayon spandex, a floral on black baby hacci sweater knit (which I turned into the romper in this post), and a multicolored and metallic dot jersey rayon blend.  Out of the bunch I think there's only one that I'm kind of like "nope, I'll never use that" and two that I'm like "these are nice but I'm not quite sure what to do with them" and then there were three that I was really pretty excited about. The metallic dots and brown stripes are going to be used for sure - perhaps to make some Grainline Lark tees.  And I think the red plaid could make a really cute pair of knit Carolyn Pajamas.

But my favorite fabric, and the one I chose to focus on for this post, was this pink, blue, and black floral baby hacci sweater knit.  This stuff is so drapey and soft! It lured me in immediately with it's fluid drape, super stretchy hand, and the floral print which felt very 90's-in-a-good-way to me.  I had one of those moments where, upon meeting a fabric for a first time, you know exactly what you want to turn it into. And for me it was this romper.

Excuse my bra band!

For the pattern I used (what else?) the Closet Case Files Sallie Jumpsuit.  I've been meaning to revisit this pattern ever since my first dress version and this was a great excuse to pull it out again.  This fabric was quite sheer so I knew that the only way for it to work was if I doubled up the bodice and the pants.  The Sallie pattern calls for a self lined bodice anyway, but I didn't have enough fabric to cut a lining for the wide leg pants, so shorts it was! And I actually think this is crazy cute as a little shorts set.  To do this I simply measured down the inseam two inches from the crotch curve and drew a horizontal line across. Then I eyeballed a little curve at the side seam because I think that's such a cute, flirty little detail on shorts.  And this romper is nothing if not flirty!

The shorts are finished with a little self-fabric binding.  In retrospect I kind of wish I would have interfaced the hem and done a standard folded hem.  The binding got a bit wavy, and no matter how much pressing and steam I gave it, it still doesn't want to lie completely flat.

And speaking of my less-than-perfect sewing skills, I really really wish I would have listened to Heather Lou's instructions about interfacing that v-neck! Total sloppy error.  The neckline (of course) gapes.  To fix it somewhat I gathered the excess at the point of the "v" and sewed a little dart.  You can't really see it in these photos, but it looks kinda intentional.... yeah... that's it. It was intentional. But, you know, I'm certainly not perfect, so this garment is just proof that sometimes I rush through things and ignore important steps.  But hopefully it's also a lesson in shaking off your mistakes, and wearing your me-mades proudly regardless of their flaws! I mean... I still got he wolf-whistle-of-approval from Nick so... that's something!

So all in all, what do I think of Girl Charlee's KnitFix? I think it's a really fun idea! I especially think it would be a nice idea if you're sewing for kids, because kids can always use some knit cozies, and, at least in my bundle, there were a couple of those prints that I thought would make adorable kids clothes.  And chances are there will be a couple of fabrics in the bunch that you'll want to keep for yourself too. I also think it's a great way to beef up your knit fabric stash.  Sure, there are bound to be one or two fabrics you're not crazy about, but those are great to trade with other sewists.  And, I have to say, the surprise of receiving a package you have no idea what it contains was novel and... well... fun!

If you want to get the November KnitFix it'll be going on sale this coming Tuesday - the 10th. You can find out all about it here.

That's it from me guys! I'll be back in a few days with another post (I know! two in one week?! Well, let's not count our posts before they, er, hatch) but until then, Happy Sewvember!

xx

sallie in sallie!

Ok, you guys had to know this was coming... Closet Case Patterns just released her newest pattern and it's named after meeeee!!!! SQUEEEE!!!! I'm a sewing pattern!!! And not just any pattern, but a JUMPSUIT!! Seriously friends, if I had to pick an article of clothing to personify me, I can think of no higher compliment than to say I'm a jumpsuit.  It's just... *tears*... it's just too much for words! When I think of all the high kicks and funny lunge-y walks and disco grooves that women around the world will be doing in their Sallie Jumpsuits, well let's just say I can die happy.  But the Sallie isn't just a jumpsuit, it's also a maxi dress, as you can see in this post. That means options you guys.  And as much as I love pants that are directly attached to tops in my sewing patterns, I think I love a pattern that gives you options even more.  But I'm getting ahead of myself here...

Deep breath.

Hey! How are you?  Summer going good? Or is it winter where you are? That's nice...

Alright, let's get back to Sallie!  When Heather told me she was going to be naming this pattern after me I was so excited (can ya tell?!?! Can ya tell I'm excited!!!!?!?) And then I saw the pattern and I Lost. It. Heather designed the Sallie Jumpsuit and Maxi Dress with the sexy disco vibes of 70's Studio 54 and glamour girls like Bianca Jagger in mind.  Basically everything I want to embody. And best of all, it's designed for knits, so not only do you get that 70's glamour girl look, but you get it while wearing something that essentially feels like pajamas! I mean... can you see why I am proud to have it be my namesake??

I of course jumped at the chance to test this pattern.  As excited as I am about the jumpsuit version of this pattern (and you better bet your britches I'm excited) I opted for the maxi dress for my test.  The reason for this being that it is approximately a-million-dee-ba-jillion-dee degrees outside these days and about the only clothing I can wrap my head around at the moment are dresses.  So the maxi dress won this round.  I also thought that this gorgeous raspberry rayon knit from Mood would look exceptional in a floor length dress.  

Construction-wise, this thing went together without a hitch.  I cut all the pieces one evening, and sewed it up in a few hours the next day.  I've loved every pattern I've made from Closet Case Files so far, but I have to admit, I have a soft spot for Heather's knit patterns.  Her instructions always teach me a little trick for working with knits I never knew before, or a better way to do simple things, like create an elastic casing, from how I had been doing them.  Admittedly, as much as I love them, working with knits has never really been my strong suit, so I appreciate the opportunity to learn.  This pattern can pretty much be sewn entirely on a conventional sewing machine.  The bodice is a double layer, so all seams are enclosed.  I sewed the long side seams of the skirt, and the waist on my serger, but a zig-zag stitch would have worked just as well, and maybe even better for the side seams because of the split sides.

In terms of fit, you really can't get any easier than a knit! The Sallie calls for a knit with a good amount of 4 way stretch, which makes it oh-so-comfy and oh-so-easy-to-fit! I made a size 6 based on my measurements, and then measured the elastic for the waist by pinning the elastic and wearing it around for a bit to make sure it was comfortable.  One of the things I love about the maxi dress is that it's actually pretty darn adjustable! You can adjust the waist elastic to what's comfortable for you, and you can adjust the shoulder ties for a comfortable fit.  Seriously, does it get any easier? In my drapey rayon knit, the single layer skirt is a bit clingy on the rear, which doesn't bother me, but could bother some.  A thicker or less drapey knit (or a slip if you don't live in the fiery furnace of hell and can stand an additional layer) would totally solve this.

I should also note that while I'm showing you the tester version of this pattern, Heather ended up not changing too much to the maxi dress after testing besides altering the hem curve slightly, so this version is pretty close to the finished pattern.

Well guys, thanks for letting me gush! I'm so excited to have such a fun pattern named after me (HAVE I MENTIONED I'M EXCITED?!?) And I wish I could convey the little giggle I get at the thought of a bunch of beautiful ladies "wearing their Sallie's" or "sewing up a Sallie"... Hmm... upon further reflection that kind of makes me think of people making freaky skin-suits of me... Scratch that!!! Let's just say I'm excited for people to get their jumpsuit on! And try the maxi dress version too!! Your sweaty legs won't regret it!!

Heather my love, THANK YOU. I know I had absolutely ZERO to do with all the hard work that went into making this lovely, but consider me a Proud Papa all the same.  

Now everyone, go forth and make some Sallie's!!!!

xx