Hey! So I just finished watching the finale of season 4 the GBSB and I cried, which really took me by surprise!!
So it is summer here in NJ, glorious sunny fantastic summer. Spring and summer are my favorite seasons and I hang on to them with all my might. I eat outside as much as possible, sometimes staying outside til dark, looking at IG periodically while the sun sets.
Near the start of June I made a list of "summer sewing dreams". I know there are people who sew with a plan or sew to make coordinated items. I'm just not one of those people. I sew what I like pretty much when I feel like it. I'm also slow at sewing. And sewing is supposed to be fun, not my own personal sweatshop. So calling these ideas "plans" feels like setting myself up for disappointment, whereas calling these ideas "dreams" seems more appropriate somehow. I make these kinds of lists frequently. I like seeing all my "dreams" in front of me.
And somehow, sewing dreams 1, 2 and 4 happen to coordinate with each other (sewing dream #3 was the cherry print dress in my last post).
Sewing dream #1 is the Jalie 3246 shrug. I wrote a big post last December with tips on how to sew this shrug. After sewing for PR weekend, I took a 3.5 week long sewing break, and sewing the shrug seemed like a nice way to transition back to sewing. The fabric is a delightfully textured cotton sweater knit from my fabric dealer Kashi (Metro Textiles) in NYC last year. I bought 2 yards and I'm glad I did because it is not wide fabric at all! Normally a yard is enough to make a shrug but not in this fabric.
Sewing dream #2 is the gray skirt. It's actually Vogue 1247, which I sewed back in 2011 in the same fabric, but this time I omitted the pockets and the horizontal seaming across the front and back of the skirt, which gives a rather lumpy appearance in this spongy fabric.
This fabric is from Jomar in Philly and was purchased during PR weekend in 2010! I have been wanting to sew this basic for ages, and needed to sew it to get it off my mind.
Sewing dream #4 is the lacy yoke top. This shot up to the top of my list when I saw the same lacy colorblocking on IG that rosiejanesews made. I really liked Simplicity 8016 when it was released but did not want to do any new fitting, so I took S1283 (the pattern I used when I sewed a sweater from a cotton knit blanket) and cut it so that it had a yoke and a lower neckline. The neckline and armholes are bound in Nike Dri-Fit then twin needle stitched from the top, and the hem is a rolled hem on my serger since I didn't lengthen the top enough.
The raspberry stretch lace is from Apple Annies online (2015) and is underlined with raspberry double knit from Michael Levine (2013). The gray bottom piece is from some gray double knit from who-knows-where-or-when. The fit was waaay better in my chunky cotton sweater knit than it is in all this ponte, but it still makes me smile.
I originally sewed a piece of this lace into a tank top for the gym last year. The raspberry stretch lace will make another appearance in a different incarnation here soon, so stay tuned!
So how about you? Are you living the (summer sewing) dream? Did you watch the GBSB?? Did you cry??
Be well!
I love all of your pieces and they fit you beautifully! I am very much like you. I sew when the mood strikes and I too am a slow sewist.
ReplyDeleteHow did you get GBSB ? I couldn't find a way to get it ?
ReplyDeleteLove your pieces ! You are so great at fit ! All your tips & sources are wonderful info . I'm struggling with garments is summer . Fabric choices & pattern choices not matching up - but not giving up😍
I got up to episode 7 with the BBC deleting them as fast as I watch the pirated episodes on youtube. Haven't been able to go further. And it stinks (halfway) that I know who the winner is. Love this show.
ReplyDeleteYou look good in raspberry.
I have not started the GBSB, hoping to after the house is finished! Love all your new garments and the raspberry lace is a beautiful accent.
ReplyDeleteThere is a thread on Stitchers Guild with links to the sewing bee but they are not up for long i hear. I am in the UK so watch each episode live and also record to watch again. I didn't cry but I had been rooting for the person who won so was very happy.
ReplyDeleteOh and the pieces work really well together.a ll great things which have your personal style. You have a consistent style and colour palette so I think you are onto a winner without formal wardrobing plans. I am a plan person but only as far as it suits me.
ReplyDeleteLove you new sewing dreams turned reality. I'm loving that raspberry knit again... it looks so lovely. I'm living your sewing dreams at the moment. New job, sickness, holidays = no time to sew.
ReplyDeleteVery nice ensemble! The lace yoke top is my fave! I also love the drawings of your sewing dreams. I'm definitely a planner by nature, and like to plan my sewing wardrobe; however, I am realizing that I can be quite ambitious. This is precisely the reason my plans do not get completed sometimes.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on realizing some of your top sewing dreams! I have been putting off making pants until "next year". Well, now 2016 is finally the year of pants for me! I am just finishing up the Angel Bootcut jean and am on to the Ginger Skinny Jean next.
ReplyDeleteFor GBSB S4 episodes, go to youtube and search for user Grimur Blondal. As of today, the last 4 episodes are still available to watch. And yes, I knew the winner before I got a chance to view the episode but I still cried! I also cried because of who she chose as her model for the last task, how sweet was that?
ReplyDeleteI absolutely cried. I cried every week. There's something about watching everyone flex their creative muscles and seeing the beauty that came out of the workroom. Esme was such a fun and inspiring judge.
ReplyDeleteI was pulling for Jade as the dark horse just because I think she grew so much over the course of the series.
I love the lace yoke too. I have some pink peach stretch lace I haven't had any ideas for, and this is an excellent choice!