Muppet-y Wool Loren Jackets

 My sister referred to these fabrics as "Muppet-y" and I think that's a pretty accurate description.

Sweater Knit Finlayson

It's Tim's birthday month, and I've promised him a bunch of hand-made gifts... here's the first one out of the gate!

Wool Daphne Jacket

I can't resist a cozy, oversized jacket pattern. This one is the Vivian Shao Chen's Daphne Jacket, a recent pattern release.

Dude Sewing: Fossil Gray Ponte Finlayson Sweater

I have been meaning to make Tim the Thread Theory Finlayson Sweater for the longest time... finally, a reason to make it and a great fabric from Fabric Mart!

Sew Your Hart Out September: Jalie Helene Cardigan in Blake Jersey

It's Sew Your Hart Out September and I'm joining in the fun!

Natty Newcastle

I am working my way through Thread Theory's catalog of men's sewing patterns in order of difficulty... I started with the Strathcona t-shirt for Tim and now I've stepped it up a notch and made the Newcastle cardigan, which is the pattern that drew me to Thread Theory in the first place.  It's so cool... there is nothing like it out there, certainly not amongst the Big 4 pattern makers, whose men's catalogs seem to consist mainly of a couple button-downs, some pajamas and the occasional muumuu/dashiki/cult robe.

I used some charcoal grey ponte de roma as the main fabric and some complementary navy for the contrasting yoke and shoulder panels.  Both fabrics are part of the Sew Classic line at Joann... be careful, though, as some of the ponte there is 100% poly and might be the worst thing I have ever touched. Shudder.  But the stuff I used (a rayon/poly blend) is super soft and easy to work with.  Buttons are also from Joann, as is the stretch interfacing.  Warning: stretch interfacing only stretches one way... I couldn't fit all the pieces on what I had, so I had to cut the collar pieces the non-stretchy way, figuring they wouldn't get too much stress.

Topstitching... woop!

I think my Newcastle is looking pretty good!  It's certainly not perfect, but definitely wearable.  Tim seems to like it, which is the key.   Now that I've seen it on him (and tried it on a little while sewing it), I kinda want one myself.  I might have to take a hint from Morgan's tutorial for altering the pattern for the ladies and sew myself one!

Tim requires a beer to pose for pictures.  Not unlike other bloggers who ply their children with candy and stuffed animals, I must ply my husband with craft brews:

Here are my pattern notes, none of which are particularly groundbreaking.  Most of them echo things other bloggers have said:

- I sewed up view A with the smaller collar and the contrasting back yoke and shoulder plackets

- I didn't interface the back yoke or shoulder plackets for fear of excess bulk

- Speaking of bulk: sewing the body, collar and facings all together was a beast! 5 layers of fabric and at least 3 of interfacing (there could have been 1 more, had I interfaced the yoke and plackets)... whoa!

- The sleeve caps were super hard to ease in... lots of extra fabric; mine are okay but a little ripple-y

- I was a little bit confused about the part in the instructions where you deal with the facing and hem... I think I could have used one more illustration.  I wasn't sure what exactly to trim.

- The cuffs are a wee bit large, methinks, disproportionately so... next time I might lengthen the sleeves and shorten the cuffs

- Buttonholes were tough:  I used my automatic buttonhole foot, but had to manually pull the placket through because the feed dogs were not interested in making the fabric move

- I think next time I would use a slightly stiffer fabric like sweatshirt fabric... the ponte might have had a little too much drape for this design and, when combined with the heavy collar and facings, makes the cardigan hang funny when it's not buttoned:

I Heart Bimaa

My last Bimaa, a purple number for Zoe, went over like gangbusters with her and her parents, so I decided to make another one for her in the next size up (3T) so she can hopefully wear it this spring and all through next fall-winter-spring, too.

I love this pattern... too cute.  This time I made it with some knit fabric Martha sent me from Joann, shawl collar version again.  I kinda wanted to make the cowl neck because it's so cute, but Jamie talked some sense into me, reminding me that the cowl would likely just morph into a receptacle for stray food bits as a result of Zoe's somewhat messy eating style.

Hosh Pants + Bimaa Sweater = Eeeeexcellent

I'd had my eye on LouBee's Hosh pants and Bimaa sweater patterns for Zoe and Anna for a while now... I ended up buying them for two completely different reasons: 1) a Labor Day sale (I love a good sale!) and 2) I learned that Sarah, the designer behind LouBee grew up in Western Massachusetts. Shout out to Western Mass!  I may not have lived there (Springfield, specifically) since I was 19, but I still have pride.  Gotta support my peeps!

OK, so anyway, the patterns: stretchy skinny pants with a cool adjustable waistband?  Don't mind if I do.  I know the Hosh pants are fairly similar to the Lovely Rita pants I've made recently, but they've got a couple cool factors: they have no side seams, which means the pattern on your fabric can run uninterrupted around the leg aaaaaand it means two less seams to sew, bonus.  Plus the adjustable waistband, as I mentioned.  Score.  My version is made from some stretchy bottomweight in shades of purple paisley, care of Martha's stash.  

And the Bimaa sweater: so cute!  When I read that it now came with a hoodie option I was sold.  Plus the other two variations are equally awesome: cowl neck and shawl collar.   I went with the shawl collar this time because of fabric limitations.  This is a nice soft, thick ribbed knit that I bought at Joann's last time I was in the States.  I had intended it for a Briar t-shirt, but as much as I love the idea of that pattern, it's not for me.  So Bimaa it was!  It helped that the purple knit perfectly matched the purple paisley pants.   The Bimaa was super easy to put together with the serger.  Zip, zip, zip, done.  And so cute! Perfect for fall:

An outfit Theresa would have loved!

Old Man Sweater for Baby Alex

Another sweater made while jaunting around Vietnam... this one an adorable old man, shawl collar cardigan for Amy's adorable new baby, Alex.  Although I hear it's ridiculously hot in NYC these days, hopefully this fuzzy little cardigan will keep him warm in the fall and winter.

I made the sweater using the "Baby Sophisticate" pattern from Stockinette- very easy and well-written.  The only change I made was to  knit the sleeves flat because I am terrified of double-pointed needles.  So pointy.

I used Nature's Choice Organic yarn, repurposed from this scarf I made last year.  I unraveled it after realizing I would never wear the scarf in Jakarta's heat, plus I liked the look of the yarn better in knit than in crochet.