Catching up, round 3

Just a few short months ago I was enjoying a plain air painting session at an apple orchard north of Anoka.  I belong to the Plain Air Club through the Rumriver Art Center.  It is the same group that painted outdoors last winter when it was 16-degrees Fahrenheit.  We have a nice time together.  If the weather is inclement, we will paint in the studio.  I have my photos from painting sessions and travels for reference when I work inside.  On this day I was using the water soluble oils, although since that time I have been giving acrylics another try.  The  quick drying time works well for layering color, although I still prefer the buttery texture and feel of painting with oils.

A beautiful, early fall day for painting outdoors!

Between painting sessions, I planned a project for Jim.  Using colors of the Grey Wolf (NYLT) patch, I designed a scarf, and wove it on the Cricket loom.  The super wash wool is warm, soft, and easy care.  I like the design and want to try other color combinations.  The length is perfect for going around the neck twice with plenty of scarf to keep the chest warm.

 Fall progressed quickly.  It was very rainy and the leaves took longer to turn, but there were pockets of beautiful fall color to enjoy.

   A finished project (just last week) is the handwoven tunic.  It began as a jumper, but after fulling the fabric, I could not place the pattern pieces for the short length.  After sleeping on other ideas for a few days, I decided to make a tunic.  My inspiration came from the recent exhibit of Gudrun Sjödén's clothing at the Swedish Institute in Minneapolis.  The wool tunic is a great alternative to wearing a sweater.  I shortened the short version of the pattern by about 3-inches and then added a piece on the side to smooth out the flare to the hem. I was able to lay the pattern, cut out the four pieces, and have leftover fabric.  The facings are lightweight linen and I used a Hong Kong finish on the inside.  The buttons are decorative, as I did not want to fiddle with buttonholes.  For ease of wearing, I added a snap and sewed the top button to the top layer, and then sewed the bottom buttons through all the layers.  The buttons came from a vendor at Shepherd's Harvest Festival and were waiting for the perfect project.  I believe this was the perfect project.  At this time there is no pocket as originally planned, but I can add it later.  

McCall's pattern from the 1990s, Harrisville Designs Shetland wool for warp and weft.

Winter is fast approaching.  The leaves are down, the geese are flying south, and the neighborhood turkeys are everywhere.  It was very cold recently and I bundled up for my daily walks.  The turkey prints were on the sidewalk beside the field and it looks as though they were deciding which way to go.  

Weaving Wednesday project

I started this top back in November and finished the pieces, but didn't take the time to finish.  I think I had an aversion to cutting until I made the vest recently.  The top came together nicely and I took my time measuring and pinning before cutting and sewing the pieces together.  I used the sewing machine because I wanted neat stitching.  To cut the long piece in two, I measured, hand-sewed a piece of yarn evenly through the middle and then went to the machine to straight stitch and then zigzag stitch the ends, after which I cut through the middle of the yarn separating the piece for the sides.  The fronts were easy to separate because I'd woven waste yarn between the pieces.  The hem tape covered the edges of the top at the neckline.  The piece turned out nicely and looks great.  

Secure and cut!

It's beginning to look like a top.

I like the subtle vertical stripes in the center front and back pieces.  

Sheep in the woods vest

Yesterday was a good day to sew.  I finally decided to cut into the twill fabric and make a vest.  I'd found a pattern on eBay that I'd used in the early '90s.  I still have the bolero I made and thought the pattern was still filed away.  It was a good find and one that will be used over and over.  Rather than cutting out the pieces, I bought some pattern yardage (lightweight interfacing) and drafted the two pieces from view 2 in the S/M size.  Plan A was to add a seam allowance on the back pieces, but I didn't like the thought of seaming the fabric.  I visited my closet of good intentions (thank you, putzycrafter, for that saying) and shopped my small linen stash.  I had lightweight brown (intended for a summer dress) and neutral (intended for another summer dress), but figured I could do better.  Off to Joann, ETC.  Sigh, I found the linen and didn't like the linen/rayon blends.  After a bit more searching, I thought denim or corduroy would be good options.  Most denim now has spandex and the corduroy was too light or too stiff.  Back to the linen section, and since it was on sale, a yard of natural color was the choice.

There be sheep in the woods!

 Home again, I washed the linen and hung it to dry in the basement.  In the meantime, itching to get to work, I went back to the closet of good intentions and pulled out a yard of printed linen purchased some years ago at Treadle Yard Goods in St. Paul.  Treadle is a small shop that carries lovely fabrics, patterns, buttons (oh, the buttons!), so much more, and a knowledgeable staff.  Suffice it to say, it's worth the drive from here!  Anyway, when the twill met the printed linen it was a match made in heaven.  Taking the time to think about it and then consulting Mary I knew I had to go ahead and begin the project.

Cutting into the fabric was not easy.  Handweaving gives one a particular appreciation for fabric and because the twill has a diagonal design, I took my time placing lining up the second piece after cutting the first piece since I cut them out one at a time.  Speaking of cutting out the first piece...after pinning the pattern to the fabric I took a deep breath and made the first cut on the side, put down the scissors, took a deep breath, snapped a photo, and then proceeded to finish cutting.  Before sewing, the machine needed a new needle and threading was a bit of a challenge with dark thread and a bit more farsightedness.  Stay-stitching around the handwoven pieces with straight stitches stabilizes the fabric.  Dampening and ironing the prewashed linen smooths out any large wrinkles.  

Cut, breathe, cut, breathe...

The construction of the vest is quite simple--sew shoulder seams on right side pieces and lining, sew lining to the outside pieces leaving the side seams open, clip curves, turn inside out and press.  (Between each step I steam press, keeping the seams tidy.)  The reveal was exciting with only two more seams to sew.  The right sides of the back and front pieces got machine-stitched and then the lining seam allowances are whip-stitched by hand after pressing.  Whoa, I was so excited after giving the finished vest a good pressing and trying it on.  Now I'm excited to plan my next yardage using Harrisville Shetland for the warp and weft in a broken twill for an allover surface design.  

Finished!

I love the curve detail at the center back.

It's worth mentioning that the vest fits better on me than on the dress form.  I am so happy and cannot wait to weave more yardage for sewing projects!

Progress on the woven top

Yesterday I sewed the halves of the top together with the sewing machine.  When I tried that with my vest pieces, it did not work and I had to hand stitch.  I tested the opening size on a paper pattern and it worked out well.  I will not be turning under a seam allowance, but the plan is to make some binding tape out of fabric, possibly linen.  I have not sewn the side seams yet because I may be adding fabric to the bottom and tried it on.  It looks better than I expected.  There is more of the same fabric on the loom, so there are some possibilities for longer sleeves or a border added to the bottom.  The border is the first choice.

The plate I used to outline the neck opening.

Two-thirds of the opening is in the front and one-third is in the back with the shoulder seam at the fold between.  A running stitch is worked around the pattern piece, with the sewing machine stay stitching is outside the running stitch and zigzag is inside the running stitch.

After cutting, the running stitches were removed.  

10.07.09 Earlier in the week a friend and I went to St. Paul. I had to pick up a pattern I ordered for a shirt at an awesome fabric store called Treadle. It reminds me of a store in my home town that had a huge fabric section in the downstairs. All quality fabric--YES! We had a bite to eat at Salut, a nice restaurant a bit further down on Grand Avenue. Anyway, I'd seen this fabric on the last visit, and couldn't resist. I have a vest pattern from years ago and RRH would be the perfect lining. The fabric is made in Japan and they have some adorable designs. It's a cotton/linen blend and I have some natural linen for the outside. The print is small, which is nice and just perfect for this project (something fun). I'm doing the vest with view C. The front pieces can be flipped, as there are buttons at the shoulders and waist. Gee...another excuse to find great buttons!

I frogged the KAL purse and am almost finished to get to clue #4. I'm debating about the handles. I'm not crazy about felted handles, so I may even wait until next Wednesday for the last clue to see if it's going to add to the design. I prefer leather handles. So far it's been a fun knit and I like chatting with other knitters about it.
On Wednesday I met Jim at the Velodrome and took photos while he did a couple of time trials. I was on the field and it was fun and a challenge to lead with the camera to get a good shot. Mel (now a professional rider) was also there. She's amazing to watch! She's using one of my shots as a profile picture on her Facebook page. I don't know the rider in the close-up, but I got a really nice photo! The weather's been cool this week and Jim and I took an evening bike ride through a large park. It was really nice outside and there was no wind! Every once in a while I'd catch a whiff of some florals, which was nice. My favorite place to ride and hike is through the pines. I need to grab the little camera, but when I ride with Jim, it's go-go-go!

Ben comes home later today! We have some scout stuff to do this weekend. It was wonderful to have him back for a few days over the holiday. I'm sure I need to bake some cookies for him to take back tomorrow!
Look closely at the fabric--LRR has a sheep!