Flashback to summer 2022... In an attempt to feel more "Christmas spirit", I thought maybe I needed a red suit. Something that would make me feel fierce and epic, but comes across as festive etc. Too bad that Covid got me on the 20th of Dec and I was out for the season! What an underhanded play there by Covid. Anyway, I continued on making the red suit around the Covid iso parts of the holiday season. And then I stopped. The Simplicity 8784 jacket wasn't completed until mid March 2023. It languished, sad and deflated on my dress form for months. I finally got around to doing the last bits of hand sewing, and the button holes, etc and it was ready. It was worn to celebrate the wedding of two dear friends. This trouser suit was chic, comfy, and allowed me to cut a rug! Contrary to the evidence in pictures, I did have the jacket done up at some stages of the evening. This was the time and place for Lucille Trousers with The Curved Waistband! And it makes them much more epic than the standard straight waistband. Sure, there is a lot more work involved, but it's stylish. I didn't put any boning in the waistband - if I do need it then I will add on the waistband lining and wrapped in twill tape as the casing. We shall see! [Edit - having worn these trousers a bunch of times, no additional structure is needed.] Details / Mods: Jacket - Simplicity 8784 - Used the same jacket pattern as The Blue Suit - minimised back flare, and changed collar. - Scrappy full sleeve mod where I folded out the wrist dart on the pattern, marked my sleeve length from the underarm, and folded up the all-in-one cuff. It's not an elegant solution, but worked okay. - Put small ready-made shoulder pads in. For additional epic-ness. - Fully lined with a red Bemberg lining from Spotlight. - Hand prick-stitched the front panel including the collar piece so make sure it all lies flat and smooshed. Trousers - Lucille - didn't use a lining fabric for the pocket bag because I am a rebel. - Had to schmooze the curved waistband lining. After the understitching, trim the waistband to be the same length on the raw edge. I didn't do this - regrets. To combat this I just pushed the seam allowance of the lining side up further before whip stitching it down. - No cuffs. Length suitable for flats. Yeah, so I need suits in every colour. NEED. Suit:
Jacket & Trousers - made by me Blouse - fcuk silk blouse from eBay circa 2016 Shoes - Asos wingtips Dancing Legs: Blouse - Dangerfield Shoes - Asos brogues
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During 2022, I kept track of all my completed projects on a Google Sheet document. It's a method that worked well for me and I will use a similar structure for 2023. Here are some things I learned / want to focus on for 2023...
All the best for your creative endeavours in 2023! First was the grey gabardine, next the brown wool, finally green wool/poly blend. The Lucille Trousers by Charm Patterns are a wardrobe staple. Not just for retro and vintage folk, but for all who want a bit of decadent trouser elegance in their lives. When this pattern says it's a wide leg they are not having a laugh. The back of this pattern through the crotch line is so wide. SO WIDE. However, the bum sits nice and flat without extra pooling at the upper thigh. Due to the relaxed fit they are pretty quick to put together and can easily be sewn in a day. Not to mention the cutaway pockets. So sleek and stylish, and they fit an iPhone! The green trousers are actually part of a suit that I have yet to finish. It's slow going on the jacket, but it's already shaping up to a seriously overdressed statement suit. From these images, it appears as I love to pair them with a hand knit jumper! Peach jumper is Beauty School by Poison Grrls, mustard jumper is Tesselate by Untangling Knots, cream jumper is from a vintage 1970s pattern. If I lived in the Lucille Trousers I would be a happy woman. Maybe I should make a pair for house lounging... Construction notes are at the bottom of this post.
Two jumpers from the same pattern with slightly different sleeve ease, but both are superb. The pattern is the Homefront jumper available on Sidney's delightful Squid's School of Vintage Knitting Patreon page. This pattern is a schematic for you to plug in your own measurements and gauge, and then knit something perfect. And let me confirm, it is perfect. The Patreon is totally worth it! There is a new pattern every month, monthly zoom knit-nights, and general knitting greatness (on the USD $8.50 tier). The green version came first and is made from leftover yarns. The green is from the Land Girl jumper and the cream is from the 40s fair isle vest. The stripes idea was heavily inspired by Sidney's red version of the same jumper. The stripes on the sleeves stop before the CO and dec because who wants to set in striped puff sleeves? Not I. The light buttons at the back next were from my stash. They're a recently added "stock item" of small mother-of-pearl buttons which seems to suit everything I make. A happy coincidence. One brilliant thing about this pattern is that you take separate measurements for front shoulders and back shoulders. Finally my broad upper back is catered for! As long as you dec down to the same top shoulder measurement then everything lines up nicely. The forest berry version is knit in a superwash yarn from Morris & Sons bought especially for this project. I used the forest berry pattern by Fabel Knitwear up the centre, and keen eyed friends will notice that there is one little forest berry repeat in the centre of each sleeve. Somehow, this is the most romantic and feminine jumper I have ever made. Not sure if it is down to the yarn colour, the sweet little berries, or the delicate puff sleeves? Probably a combination of all three. Feminine magic. The buttons are little purple shanks from my stash. No idea what they were for originally. Eh, they have a home now on this precious jumper. Honestly, I could probably get my head through without needing the buttons but they are a cute detail on the back. Speaking of squeezing my head through I of course used the super stretchy, double-worked cast off method for the neckband. I will never use a regular rib cast off again for a neck. Not after that time I cast off a vest so small that I got a bit stuck... Both Homefront jumpers are styled with me made skirts from vintage patterns. Maroon-ish corduroy skirt paired with the green jumper is a vintage 1940s mail order pattern. Grey upholstery skirt worn with the forest berry jumper is vintage 1960s Simplicity 3744. More knitting details on my Ravelry page. Basically, these are the 3 colours in my wardrobe: green, maroon / wine red, grey. Throw in some mustard and burnt orange shades for good measure and you're ready to go. And finally, I can't help but have visions of more of these jumpers. So I started sketching them and writing notes... Do you have a preference for the next Homefront design? How great are vests? This pattern is available on Squidney Knits Patreon and it's brilliant. Her whole method is to use your own measurements and spi (sts per inch) to create a personalised pattern. My version is knit with leftover Bendigo yarn from a jumper finished earlier this year so I was being yardage conservative at best. The ribbed band should be a bit longer but it's nothing between friends. The stitch pattern is a mix of knit and purls that is easy to 'read' what row you are up to. I much prefer to read my rows rather than make tally marks of where I'm up to. Makes me feel like even more of a knitting wizard. One interesting thing about this pattern is that the upper back and upper front are different widths. As you take your own measurements and work that in line with your gauge (5spi for me), it can be a different width for the front and the back. I have never knitted a garment where the front is not an exact repeat of the back but with neckline shaping. What a revelation! This did require wet blocking as the armholes and neckline are only 4 rows of ribbing deep. They kept wanting to flip upwards. They soon discovered my patience is not infinite. (Just a little Black Jack Randall quote there.) The wet block took an age because just after the vest had soaked, it rained for 3 days. Oh, and I used the double-worked super-stretchy bind off for the neck. I don't think "bind off loosely" is enough stretch. Aside: How much mileage can I get out of this 18th C shirt? Honestly, not enough. I love it so much. It can do Poldark, Outlander, any Jane Austen / Regency period, might even be able to shove it into early Victorian! Drama. Linen. Comfort. Historical. Vest: Knitted from Squidney Knit's Patreon Pattern - Scarecrow Vest Shirt: 18th C mens shirt Skirt: Squared out pencil skirt from the Blue Suit Shoes: American Duchess Claire |
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April 2023
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