Confession: I’ve never really made pants before.

I mean, I’ve made kid pants, but they’ve been of the yoga and sweat variety, all with elastic waistbands.

These are honest to goodness, zipper and pockets kind of pants. They are Thurlows from Sewaholic, and I used a fantastic sewalong over at lladybird to work out the pattern better.

As the first pair, I am pretty pleased with the results.

Although I’ve been trying to work through (and use up) my existing fabric stash, these were made of  leftovers from my Minoru jacket.

I’m more or less happy with the fit as well, though I’m not sure they are as flattering as I’d like. They are comfortable, and the length is just about where I’d like it, if a teensie bit long (and I finally learned how to use my blind hem foot on my machine!).

The one thing I can say that I need to improve is the fit in the seat/back thigh area.  It’s a bit bulky.  To fix it, though, I’ll have to unstitch the crotch area (lordy I hate that word) and pull in the extra fabric allowance. (yeah……I didn’t use a muslin to work that out first. I’m far, far too lazy and impatient for that).

I took a bit of width out of the cuffs, as well.  They were quite a lot wider than I liked.

The funny thing is, the details that I thought I would have the most trouble with came out the best. The zipper, the back welt pockets, the hem.

See what I mean about saggy baggy back?

But check out those pockets!

Honestly I think it’ll only be a minor adjustment to the fit to fix the sag.  It’s just going to take me awhile to feel like actually doing it.

Huzzah! I finished my Minoru rain jacket in time for my trip to Europe!

I used regular ol’ cotton twill in grey for the outer portion and a fun Llama print by Michael Miller for the lining.

This was the first time I’ve ever made something so complex, and though I had a few hangups, it’s not as remedial as I was afraid it would be.

The collar has a handy zipper pocket in the back to store the hood away if you don’t want to use it or leave it hanging off your back. The collar itself is very tall, which I really like.

It’ll keep the rain off, for sure. I’ll also be spraying it down with a good water repellent treatment.

I also think that next time (oh yes, I’ll make more – it was super fun!) I will make the next size down. It’s just a tad big, and I think I’d like it a bit more fitted.

Check out the llamas!

You’ll notice I am also wearing my Sew Lisette Portfolio dress from a few years back.

The back has a wide elastic band to cinch in a bit and create a more flattering silhouette.

The twill and the lining make it a bit bulky and heavy for just a raincoat, but I wanted a little bit extra warmth, just in case.  We’ll be in Edinburgh in the first bit of June and I’m not sure how warm the temps will be.

I’m thrilled with it. and I’m feeling well prepared for rainy weather!

Can I just say how much I love the Washi pattern from Made by Rae? LOVE. I’ve made several things with this pattern, both in woven cotton and in Jersey knits and I’ve had no misfires (knock on wood!!).

Today I’ll show you the shirt I made with some Amy Butler Lark fabric I’ve had waiting around for just such a project.

With the Washi pattern there is an option for the keyhole neck design or the scoop neck, and I prefer the scoop.

The front is pleated just under the empire waist.

Let me say this: I love empire waistlines. But, as a woman who is not shaped like a beanpole, it can be a challenge to wear them and not look pregnant. In fact, the last time I wore a high waisted blouse an older gentleman asked me how far along I was.

Yeah.

But with this pattern, this fabric, this comfort level, I don’t even care.

The back is gathered with elastic thread.

Unlike all of the other woven-cotton blouses I’ve made, this one sits comfortably. It doesn’t feel “off” in any way. I cut it out in the medium size and didn’t have to make a single sizing adjustment.

Neve was my photographer.  When she takes your picture, she bounces around a lot and you never quite know where to look or when she’s going to snap away. Also, I have a bad habit of looking pissed off in pictures even though I’m not.

…….And then we were feeling a little silly.

You cant see it in the pictures, but the destination sign for the bus reads “Walt Disney World”. I was kind of hoping that would come through here, but not so much.  You’ll just have to take my word for it.

Staying distracted and busy is the goal for today. That’s what happens when you’ve been hit with a nasty Norovirus and you have to miss your best friend’s baby shower.

Yeah.

I am so unhappy about that.  Not only did I miss out on cake and fun and seeing Susan in all her giant belly glory, I missed seeing a whole lotta other friends I’ve been missing.

I guess I can take solace in the fact that the puking/diarrhea/fever train seems to have left the station.  Now it’s just lingering hot flashes, dizziness, sensitive stomach.  I can function, but who knows how contagious I might still be?

Maddie had the crud, too.  It’s possible she gave it to me when we met at The Alley Light last Sunday for dinner with our old friend Kim. Or maybe I gave it to her. Either way.

Since the miserable sickness seems to be on its way out I can finally move around and eat, and sew.  Because what else do you focus on when you’re wallowing in shower-missing sadness?

I re-threaded my serger, figuring I need to practice with it if I’m going to get serious about sewing apparel for myself. As much as I’ve enjoyed making things I’d still put my skill level at novice.  There’s a lot I need to learn about finishing techniques.  And putting together-y techniques.

You know what I mean.

I think my biggest obstacle is a total lack of decent fabric sources locally.  I’d have to trek out to Richmond (okay, that’s not terrible, but I AM pretty lazy).  Ordering online means taking a gamble if you’re not completely sure what you’re looking at. And trust me, good fabric makes aaaalllllll the difference.  Especially if you’re sewing with standard-issue machines, as I am.

Anyway, I worked on a three-quarter sleeve tee shirt today.

I’m loving the clean edges with the serger. Unfortunately I can’t use it exclusively to sew the pieces together since I seem to be having a lot of tension issues with it.  Maybe because I’ve got the cheapest serger on the market.

Whatever.

I love this Renfew shirt pattern from Sewaholic for its ease of use and how simple the dang neckline is! I’m pretty happy with how well it turned out, even though my stitching could be better.  I thought for sure when I sat down today that I had a twin needle to work the hemlines, and as it turns out, I don’t. So…….I sewed one line, moved the fabric, and tried to make the next line as parallel as possible.  It’s not bad, but it’s not fabulous, either.

See? This is the sleeve hem. Not bad, not great. (I did order a twin needle. It’s coming next week).

The one issue I have with the pattern is the banded bottom hem. I want just a simple, regular ol’ tee-shirt hem.  Again, no twin needle.  What I’ve ended up with is a hem that doesn’t look terrible, but there’s a stretch issue now that’s making it kind of ripply and weird.  I’ll be revisiting the hem on this when the twin needle (and more stabilizer tape) arrives.

I did have a lot of success with Cake Pattern’s Espresso Leggings.  They were super easy to assemble and I had fabric already that I knew would be perfect for leggings (just a standard Ponte de Roma knit from fabric.com).

I love that they have you put a looped ribbon in the back so you know which side is which.  It looks a little more polished somehow!

They went together in less than an hour and fit perfectly.

No, you will get no pictures of them on me today, due to the previously mentioned illness. I’m not looking my best right now!

Next I think I want to try Papercut Pattern’s Ooh La La Leggins.  They have more visual interest and look challenging in a very fun way.

Also, I should mention that THIS BOOK has helped me tons.  It’s a great reference for sewing knits, and I need all the help I can get!  If you’re new at sewing knits or, like me, need extra help, I seriously can’t recommend it enough!