Active wear.... Kwik Sew 4181

Sorry I am a very intermittent blogger lately.  We have had a week away on a camping holiday and you know how it is... stuff.

Anyhoo, I have finally got around to showing you my new Kwik Sew top 4181.  

I have made View B, pretty much straight from the pattern.  The only adjustment I made was to grade out to a larger size at the hips.

The fabric I have used is supplex for the royal blue parts and black back and bindings and the contrast V is a funkifabrics purchase called Pompeii Ice.  This was an easy sew.  The part I had the most difficulty with was sewing the applique neatly.  This was more related to the type of fabric than the pattern.  The funkifabrics fabric is called flex and is like a swimsuit fabric so was a little tricky to turn under.  From memory I think I tried basting glue and it didn't really work, but I got there in the end.

Pretty happy with the fit and finish of this pattern.  I didn't bother with the shelf bra but wear it with a racer back sports bra and like how the back covers the bra straps.

Other than that I have been sewing for my etsy shop... a few new bags, including this one from an OOP Alexander Henry fabric....

and some new headbands...

Hope you are all having fun with your sewing... Ciao kittens!

My me-made gym collection

I have been showing most of the pieces of my active wear wardrobe as I have made them, but thought it would be nice to show you my "collection".

These are my tops.  3 Fehrtrade  XYT tops (X in blue/purple, T in green, Y in purple) and my Kwiksew 3453 vest for the cooler mornings.  Don't need the vest at the moment as we have been having heatwave conditions.

And the bottoms.  The 3/4 Kwiksew 3988 pants (not blogged I just realised but the pattern link is here) and now (thanks to the heatwave) I have two new pair of shorts.  The Jalie 2796 compression shorts and my new Jalie 3351 Swim shorts (but gym shorts for me).  I finished these today and will try them out tomorrow and put a post up after so I can tell you how they perform. :)

... and for those time I need to practice yoga or relax or (most recently) for pj's when camping, my Kwiksew 3988 pants this time in View B and the Kwiksew 3115 top.

I am really pleased with my "collection".  I will post about the new Jalie swim shorts (as gym shorts) soon.  I realised I haven't blogged about KS 3988 pants.  If you are interested to know more please let me know and I will try and get a post prepared.  Ciao kittens...

Catching up - Kwik Sew 3740

My blogging has fallen in a pile lately but I will try and catch up and get my act together.  I think one of the reasons is that I have been making lots of basics and they are not the most exciting to blog about, but they are good additions to the wardrobe as they get lots of wear.

I have put on weight and so many of my clothes don't fit, while waiting for this issue to resolve itself (hopeful, eh?)  I have made some basics in my new size so I have *something* to wear! Another reason a lot hasn't been blogged is that my picture getting and quality hasn't been the greatest lately.  However so as to move on, I am going to use the photos I have or I may never get my blog moving again!

First cab off the rank is a Kwik sew 3740.  This pattern is a TNT in my wardrobe.  I made a larger size than in the past, and even though I wear it, I don't believe I achieved a great fit.  I should have kept the same shoulder size as my previous makes, maybe done a FBA and added some to the side seams.  However I still have a wearable top and it has been worn a lot already. 

Without further ado... a picture for you... no details as this has been reviewed many times already.

I also made one in black bamboo without the collar but have no photo.

Two basic tops done now but more wardrobe basics to come... Ciao!

Active wear - vest KS 3453

As part of updating my active wear wardrobe I made a vest.  It can get cool and the car park at the gym is particularly cold and breezy.  So a vest to keep the cool breeze off my shoulders and keep me warm once sweaty workouts were done is what I needed in my wardrobe.  

I ordered Kwik Sew 3453 and bought some fleece from Lincraft during a sale they had and viola...

It looked tricky with odd pieces but came together quite easily.

The only change I might make if I made it again is too lengthen so it sits over my hips more.

I have worn it on a few cool mornings to gym and find it very comfortable and snuggly warm.  I would love to make one out of a more technical fabric like Polartec but I am not sure I can justify it for my lifestyle... wish list...

Review is here... Ciao!  

Active wear - Kwik Sew 3115

I have been participating in the active wear sewalong on Pattern Review.  I have made a couple of tops and one pair of pants.  I am finally getting some photos taken and will start reviewing what I have made so far.

The first to get a successful photo is Kwik Sew 3115 View A top.

The fabric is a TDF supplex bought from Runners Fabrics.  It isn't cheap but you can get a couple of tops from 1 metre so not bad value.

The main changes I made were to lengthen the pattern by 4 inches and cross the straps at the back.  I did also cut the bra liner a little longer as a cheater fba.  (one size up in length).

To make it more like my RTW gym tops, I sewed the built in bra (shelf bra) from powernet but added pockets in supplex to hold removable bra cups.

I hope you can get a sense of how I did this from these photos.  

This is the top inside out.  The powernet is white as is the elastic.  I cut the supplex pockets from the bra front pattern piece, but trimmed it at the top and the sides.  I sewed it to the powernet with a zigzag stitch (across the top and  a few centimetres from the CF, then trimmed the middle part out.  Probably not absolutely necessary but I was copying my RTW top.

This is the back inside out.

And this shot shows the pocket is formed as the side edge is overlocked shorter than the front bra piece and left open on the side.

The only change I would make if I sewed another one, is to raise the front neckline a little as the top is very comfortable but I realised when wearing it to a yoga class that the top feels too low cut when adopting postures upside down like downward facing dog.  Not a huge issue as no one is really going to be looking at your cleavage as they are all busy being upside down too, but for comfort I would prefer it to be a little higher (about an inch).

Pretty happy with this pattern and I would recommend it.  The built-in bra is fine for activities like yoga or weight-lifting but probably not enough support for cardio or running.

My review is here.

Ciao kittens, back soon with some more successful active wear.

Making it wearable... solutions to problems

Last summer I made McCalls 6078 and loved it but had some issues with how to wear it (without flashing the bra band at the back).  This summer I decided I the needed to make it work.  First up I needed to get the bra out of the way.

I found this at Lincraft and it works.  It clips into the bra clips and the extra band wraps around your body and pulls the back band down.  It is not as comfortable or as secure as wearing a bra by itself but it does the job.

I wore it like that once, but found that the shoulders of the top kept slipping, so decided to add some lingerie keepers which I made myself.  All that is needed is ribbon and snaps....

I know you can buy theses ready-made but there were none in stock when I went to buy them.  I simply sewed a set of snaps to each end of a piece of ribbon and then sewed the ribbon onto the facing at the shoulder seam.

I stitched the ribbon down in the centre of the ribbon and also near one snap.  This is the holder closed...

With the bra strap threaded through the keeper I found the shoulders of the top stayed in place much better ... this is how I wore it when I went out to dinner last night...

and the back...

If you are interested the pants are Kwiksew 3384 made for an Endless Combinations contest.  However since then this beautiful swishy fabric shrunk (did not expect that) and looked all wrong being too short in the leg.  I decided to make them work as well, so took the hem down and re-hemmed them.  I also decided to narrow the leg a little while I had the hem down.  I did like the wide legs but feel I will probably wear them more this way. 

I felt quite comfortable in this outfit (even though I may have been a bit twitchy checking that the bra band was not visible) and am happy with my now wearable top! ... Ciao!  Birthday dress next up!

Back to our regular scheduled programming... sewing for ME!

After making togs for the boys I was in the mood to make some for me - Kwik Sew 3330.  I had a fabric bought at Spotlight but marked as Seafolly which had a border print running along each edge (selvage).  I made View B (without the applique) and cut the contrast band for the pants and the straps for the top out of the border print and the rest from the body of the fabric.  It did mean I was cutting some pieces the 'wrong' way but there seemed to be little difference in the stretch either way and it does not seem to have affected the wearability of the swimsuit.

I am happy with how these have come out and particularly love the pants.  They are fully lined and fit really well, holding everything in they should.  In fact, so comfortable that I considered taking a photo to share of me wearing them, then good sense prevailed!

I did have some trouble with my machine skipping stitches when I was making the top so changed the needle.  This made no difference so I went through the whole thing, cleaning, re-threading and another new needle and it did seem to resolve after that.  Sometimes it is the simple things that help.  :)

The review is here  for those interested.

Next up on the list was some lace knickers.  I had bought the stretch lace ages ago and decided it had aged enough in the stash.  After seeing a good review for the Burdastyle Tanga pants I used this pattern.  I found the video demonstrating how they are made - here.

I am very happy with them.  My only negative comment is that they are sized XS-S-M-L, but there is no reference to indicate what size they correspond to.  I made the small size but could have made XS after comparing them to some RTW I had.

I made the first pair from the apricot lace and managed to muff the CF seam so it wasn't nice and even.  To hide it I sewed a little lace flower to cover it.

The mint green pair came out much better, but I like the idea of easily recognising the back from the front so I sewed a little bow to the front CF seam of this pair.

 

Now you know more about me that you wanted to know... it is all in the interests of sewing... Ciao!

Sewing for others...

I have sort of taken a leaf out of Mary Nanna's book (blog?) and have done a little sewing for others this month.  I only made one dress last month trying to follow the Frocktober theme, but I did enjoy following the theme :)

I have made two pair of trunks from Kwik Sew 2881.  Trunks is what KS call them, we have many other names for them in Australia, I shall refer to them as Speedos. 

 I made a pair for DH and one as Xmas gift for my youngest son.  He likes to wear them under his boardies, DH is old enough that he wears them as is in public.  That's what happens when you grow up with them!

Also in the interests of modesty I have only got pictures of them lying on a table.  Did you like how I styled the picture?  This is the first one I took

It actually shows it quite well.  I haven't got much to say as it is a pretty straightforward pattern to sew and the instructions were good.  I did read the general KS tips on how to sew togs and found it quite helpful.  I followed the instruction on sewing the front of the leg without stretching the elastic and then stretching the rest of the elastic to fit the back of the leg. 

DH has tried his on and declared them comfortable.  He did say the elastic was snug, but I believe that is because the old pair he has been using are cactus and the elastic is totally shot in them!  It probably felt quite different to the old ones.  They looked very similar to the old RTW ones (but not stretched out of shape and worn out!)

Not much else to say on the pattern - I recommend it if you are wanting to make a pair for one of the men in your life.

And to make this post a little more interesting I leave you with a photo from when we went camping last month.  This possum was very cheeky and broke into our rubbish bag while we were sitting around the fire.  We would normally hide the rubbish over night, but weren't thinking one would come up while we were about.  It is licking out a used headache tablet sleeve that had been doused in oil from a dip we threw away.

Ciao possums!

Tops, tops & some thermal tops

My sewing has been pretty basic lately but good for the wardrobe. :)

Even though I have my sewing studio now, the renovation continues so I do find it difficult to concentrate on more time-consuming projects. My lighting has not been updated yet either (hopefully next week) so I hope when that is done it will motivate me to take on some more complicated projects.

First up, it has been cold here lately and I have been feeling it, so decided to use some thermal fabric I bought to make some thermal layers.

The fabric I used is from the Bamboo Store and is called Bamboo & Sorona Thermal.

The sorona is derived from corn and the fabric is lovely and silky smooth. It is very wide and from 1 metre I cut three things:

This Jalie 2564 camisole...

A long sleeved top (modified from Kwik sew 3740)


I used foe (fold over elastic) on the neckline and for those in Australia, I actually found this in Spotlight marked as 'lingerie elastic'. It is very similar to the foe I have bought from o/s. Not many colours available at Spotties, but I was happy to be able to source it locally.

This is a close-up of how I finished the foe. I attach it to one side first, with the fold (centre) of the foe lined up with the edge of the fabric with a zig-zag and then folded it to the front and used a triple stitch to attach this side.

The photo shows the bamboo/sorona fabric close-up as well.

I did not want to waste one piece of this lovely fabric and made a little beanie from the scraps...


Then I seemed to tackle some fabrics I wasn't sure how to handle, in terms of the print on the fabrics.

This one was purchased at Gorgeous Fabrics ages ago and I love it but had ordered it thinking I would make a dress and then decided it was too busy and the motif too large to work well in a dress for me. So I bit the bullet and cut out another Kwiksew 3740 being careful of motif placement and ended up with this pleasant little top.


This next fabric is also from GF and I loved the idea of it. It was described as a rich, metallic toned abstract print (rayon/lycra) and I loved the sound of it. It arrived and it is very shiny - dOH! it said metallic why was I surprised? The 'abstract' print turned out to more resemble really, really large flower motifs, so I also had to figure out how to place them on the garment.

I used the fantastic Burdastyle turtleneck pattern (again) 09-2010-121. This is the magic pattern and I think makes any fabric turn into a great top....

The colours in this fabric are great for my colouring and now I believe I will get a lot of wear out of this fabric. I didn't want to waste the scraps so used the last little bit to make a cami (from Jalie 2564 again). I think this little gold cami will work really well as a layering piece under those tops/dresses that need a cami...

And the next Turtleneck top (that's four all up!) was made with another great fabric from the Bamboo Store. It is a Bamboo/organic cotton/lycra blend and is divine. Now black fabric cannot be described as a difficult to use fabric but I made this top as I have an orphan RTW skirt in my wardrobe. This black top should coordinate well with it , so I am planning to put it into use by pairing it with the orphan skirt.

Black is probably not the best colour near my face but it will be worth it as I will get use out of the orphan skirt and I think it will be a versatile layering piece. I can also wear a scarf or whatever close to my face to detract from the black.

Well I still have more to show you - a different top (about time!), two new gym tops and a Stylearc skirt.

Ciao for now - more blogging when the photographer is available again...

Kwik sew 3693 - instant gratification in a cardi!

I have been really feeling the cold lately. We are having a cold Winter and our house is particularly cold while our renovation is happening. Instant warmth in a cardigan is available in Kwik sew 3693. I bought this pattern at the Knitwit roadshow as I was impressed with the sample they had on show. I have been looking for a suitable fabric to make it up in and, wonder of wonders, I found one in my stash when I sorted my fabric out into the new sewing studio.

I made View A in a lovely suede jersey I bought from Gorgeous Fabrics. This is a great fabric for this pattern. It has the right weight for the cardigan but still soft enough to drape nicely.


It is a brown colour and coordinates well with other pieces I have made recently.

The style of this jacket is probably a little boxy for my taste but this is out-weighed for me, by the ease and speed of making this cardigan. Sooper easy and satisfying...


My only other slight gripe is that like some other Kwik sew patterns, it is drafted with a slightly dropped shoulder. I like a nice crisp shoulder line - but I can live with it.


It is a good enough pattern that I am planning to make View B with the hood and pockets in a polar fleece hanging out in the stash cupboard. Review here for those interested.

While the reno has been happening I have been re-inspired to start crocheting again. At the Art Textiles show I bought a pattern for a beret and some lovely purple mink/merino/silk wool to make it up. I had a heap of trouble getting it going, so frogged it and started again in some left-over DK wool from the Phoebe Jane vest.

It was sooo easy to make in this wool and I knocked it up in one night!


So I went back and tried again and got my purple beret...


My only changes where to use a crochet hook heaps bigger than recommended. I love the Jenny King designs but I am a bit disappointed that they are written for people who crochet extremely loosely... anyway, now I know...

More cold weather sewing happening... when the photos happen, the blog posts will happen.. Ciao!

Kwik Sew 3153 ... Swimmers

I wanted to learn to make swimwear as we are getting a swim spa as part of our renovation/extension. Swimwear is horribly expensive to buy and I figure I will need more (when the Spa actually gets filled) and I am wearing them regularly. I made KwikSew 3239 which contains patterns for a variety of mix and match pieces. Mine worked fine, but I am not going to subject you to pictures of my very white body in a very purple two-piece. Suffice to say it will probably only be worn at home. However it did give me some practice sewing with swimsuit Lycra and rubber elastic.

For the next set I decided I needed more sensible togs, so chose to make Kwik sew 3153.


I made them in black and made the high cut leg option. I also made the wrap in a polyester yoru chiffon fabric, picked up on the clearance table at Spotlight.

This piccie shows the back so you can see the nice secure back.


The only change I made to the pattern was to add an additional layer of lining to the shelf bra. I sewed two rows of stitching down the middle and left the sides open. I inserted bra cups into the pockets. It doesn't add heaps of support but feels a bit more secure and more modest. I copied this off my gym wear tops and crop tops. This piccie shows the inside. You can see (if you look closely) that my machine missed a few stitches sewing the rubber elastic, but this wide elastic is tough and I think it did pretty well. I did not have this issue with the narrow elastic (probably not as thick as the wider elastic I imagine).


I haven't had a chance to try them in the water yet, but hope to soon!

I really enjoyed sewing these - more than I thought I would. Nothing was terribly difficult but sewing the elastic is probably the trickiest part. Overall I am very happy, but I suppose the proof will be when I get them wet!

My review of the pattern is here.