C'mon let's twist again

2018 was an abysmal year for me in terms of spinning. For whatever reason I just didn't feel like doing it, so I didn't. At some point I started to feel a lot of guilt for owning so many spining tools and not using them, and for having a sizeable fiber stash that wasn't going anywhere. At least I was pretty good and didn't buy much fiber at all last year. I bought 1 batt at Rhinebeck and I think I received a few bumps of fiber as gifts, but that's it.

So in 2019 I made a personal pledge to spin 15 minutes a day for as long as I could keep it up. I know it's not an original idea but I like that I am making time for spinning without having it take over my life. and even if it takes me months to spin one braid of fiber, it's still an improvement over last year. I started with this gorgeous superwash merino "Main Squeeze" from Wound Up Fiber Arts. I've been making a point to start spinning up those fibers that I've been hoarding and setting aside because they are too lovely to spin, because honestly what's the point of having it if I'm never going to use it?

Originally I was hoping for a chunky to bulky weight 2ply but I ended up with an aran weight. This is quite a normal issue for me. Someday I will be able to spin chunkier yarns but this wasn't the one. I didn't do anything special with the original braid. I just split it in half and spun each half end to end without further splitting. I used a short-forward draft and soaked and snapped to finish. The entire skein was spun on my Majacraft Rose, which is my favorite wheel by far.

I ended up with 135 yards / 116g and I've already cast-on for some thick cozy convertible mitts. I can't wait to finish them so I can show you how the yarn knit up.

Winter Handmade Capsule 2019: Week 1

If you want to keep up with my outfits on a daily basis, follow me on Instagram.

I have to say, the capsule hasn't gotten off to a great start. The first day I was planning to wear my white jeans but when I put them on in the morning, the bottom button popped off. I guess I can be thankful that it popped off while I was at home and not after I got to work. I ended up having to replace all but one of the buttons on that pair of jeans. I'm now thinking I bought crappy tack buttons because I didn't have the same trouble with my other pairs.

I also took a cashmere comb to my Emerson cardigan last weekend, and while it did help it doesn't look like new or anything and after wearing it for a day I swear the pills just keep coming back. So if any of you have been tempted to make a sweater out of Woolfolk Far (and believe me if you feel it you will be tempted) just don't do it. I knit a hat out of it 2 years ago that has held up beautifully but it's just not a great yarn for sweaters and it's expensive as hell. Learn from my mistake and save yourself some time and money.

Overall, I can't quite put my finger on why but I'm just not feeling that excited about the challenge. I'm having a hard time coming up with outfit combos that work. The weather has also been pretty cold and it's supposed to get worse so that might be part of the problem. I really just want to wear my PJs all the time so it's hard to drum up excitement about getting dressed in the morning at all. Sorry to be such a downer but this is my honest assessment.

To finish on a more positive note, my favorite outfit of the week was a good one. With wool tights this combo was plenty warm enough and I always love wearing this sweater. Hopefully next week will be better.

#sewmystyle2019 January: Activewear

I've elected to participate this year in the #sewmystyle2019 challenge. January's challenge is activewear. You can choose any pattern you want as long as it fits the theme. I had picked up Simplicity 8561 last year. The crazy snow tiger print is from Style Maker Fabrics and the solid grey is some leftover performance knit from Joanns that I used to sew my Peg Legs leggings last summer. They grey is considerably stretchier than the print.

I made View B in size S. I shortened the legs 3 inches (more on that later) and narrowed the ankles because generally capri length is like normal length on me except that they are too wide at the ankle. The pattern has options for mid or high rise. View B is supposed to be mid-rise but I just substituted the taller waistband from the other views to make them high-rise--the bands are interchangeable with height being the only difference. The pattern doesn't make this obvious but a quick measurement of the width let me know it is so.

I find precision sewing impossible using only my serger so my points don't line up perfectly or anything. I think if I wanted perfection I'd have to stitch everything on my sewing machine first and then finish with the serger. After my last experience sewing leggings that popped stitches I used wooly nylon in the upper looper and stitched with 4 threads and I haven't had any issues with stitching coming undone, even after a yoga session. I used a triple zigzag for attaching the elastic to the interior waistband. I wasn't sure if I would need the elastic but I'm glad I put it in.

After constructing the leggings except for the hems I tried them on. I forgot to account for the stretch of the fabric taking away length and my leggings were definitely too short. It turns out that if I had just left them as is without shortening them they would have been the perfect length. So to fix it I cut 4" wide bands for the ankles, folded them in half, and serged them on. I lengthened the pattern for next time so that they will be the right length.

The fit on these is good but not great. I'm sure others have probably had this experience too--where you have to tug and rearrange several times to get everything in the right place. If I sew them again I think I would use 1/2" seams to give myself a tiny bit more breathing room. I am learning with Big 4 patterns that I'm really in between a size 10 and 12, kind of a 10+ if that makes sense. I do really want to sew the other view eventually with the curvy seams but I would leave off the slash pockets b/c that seems like a terrible idea for leggings.

They are a little crazier than I would normally gravitate towards but they'll be perfect for at-home exercising or just bumming around the house. I'm glad for the challenge because I was a bit afraid of trying leggings again after my first experience and it pushed me to give it another try.

Winter Handmade Capsule 2019: Dresses and Shoes

We've made it to the end! Today's post is all about the dress I sewed and my shoes.

Other posts in the series:
Intro
Tops
Bottoms
Outer Layers

Dresses

Colorblock Sweatshirt Dress: I put this Butterick 6388 dress on my Make Nine and I originally intended to sew it out of some off-white french terry that I bought from Denver Fabrics. I don't wear dresses very often especially in the winter so I wanted my dress to be as warm and comfy as PJs. The french terry I was using was very lightweight, almost more of a t-shirt material than sweatshirt but I ignored the nagging feeling in the back of my brain that said this wasn't going to work. I also ignored the many reviews of this pattern that advise skipping the pockets because they lay oddly against the body. Surely my dress wouldn't suffer the same fate. And after sewing up the dress, the collar was way too floppy and the pockets pooched out in a weird way and I could not get them to lay flat. I even tried handstitching the pocket bags to the dress but because the fabric was so thin you could see the outlines of the pockets on the outsides and it just looked like I had bulbous flappy shapes right across my midsection--perhaps not the best look. plus the pocket openings still stuck out in an unattractive way. so i put some thought into how i might salvage the dress--whether i should rip out all my serged seams and remove the pockets, but that would still leave the floppy collar. i also thought about hacking it off to make it a top but i'd still have to rip out the collar and replace it. in the end i just chucked it in the garbage. not every sewing project will be a success. The fabric was pretty inexpensive so I don't feel that bad about it.

I started again with this sweatshirt fleece and quilted sweater knit from Emma One Sock. The first attempt had made me very familiar with how the pieces go together so my second try went very smoothly. I topstitched almost all of the seams as a sporty decorative feature. I don't know if it's because of the topstitching or just because my fabric was so much thicker but this version is shorter than the first on both the bottom and sleeve hems. I'd say it skirts the line of being too short but i plan to always wear this with tights or leggings so in the end i just did a regular 5/8" hem on my coverstitch and called it a day.

Shoes

Obviously I did not make any of my shoes so this will just be a quick rundown. I chose 9 pairs, which may actually be more than I need, but I have found in the past that I get sick of wearing a smaller number of shoes after awhile.

Brown Chelsea Ankle Boots: This is my newest pair of shoes. I bought them from Nisolo during their Black Friday sale. I took a long time to decide if I needed a pair of shoes like this and I'm so happy I bought them. They are comfortable and go with pretty much everything.

Grey Suede Ankle Boots: These have been a workhorse for me for several years. I always wear them a ton during the winter.

Taupe Knee-high Boots: I own 3 pairs of tall boots but for the capsule I chose just one. I find that I'm wearing taller boots less because I've been exploring wider pant styles and you can really only wear these with skinny pants, leggings, or short skirts/dresses. These are flat so they're pretty comfy and I think I'll wear them consistently.

Black Sneakers: I almost always wear sneakers on the weekends. These are my most comfortable and well-worn pair.

Cream Sneakers: These don't get worn quite as much but still pretty often.

Red Sneakers: I threw these in at the last-minute as more of a wild card in case I get tired of the others.

Black Mules: I concede that these look silly but they are a way for me to wear flats during the winter without my feet freezing.

Leopard Mules: These are actually a neutral for me. I wear them all the time when I want to spice up a slightly boring outfit.

Nude Block Heels: And finally, another throw-in. I decided I needed a more slightly formal option. To be honest they aren't the most comfortable shoes so I might only wear them once or twice.

So that is everything! My 38-piece handmade capsule. I'll be posting daily outfit photos to my Instagram stories so follow me @knottygnome if you're interested. I will be posting weekly round-ups during the challenge on Fridays. I haven't decided yet what the content will be but I'm aiming towards just posting my favorite outfit of the week in addition to my notes on how things are going. Have you ever thought about doing an all-handmade capsule wardrobe? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Winter Handmade Capsule 2019: Outer Layers

I struggle with what to call this category but I've settled on Outer Layers as it comprises pieces that go over your main layers and complete an outfit. I have selected 6 outer layers for my Winter Handmade Capsule: 3 cardigans, 1 vest, and 2 jackets-but-really-more-cardigans (i'll explain below).

Other posts in the series:
Intro
Tops
Bottoms
Dresses + Shoes

Cardigans

Dark Green Cabled Cardigan: This was a self-designed cardigan that I knit last year. I love the color so much and it's very warm. I've worn it a decent number of times but I think it will get a lot more use now that winter has finally arrived in western New York.

Navy Hooded Cardigan: I sewed this wool cardigan last fall and it's a nice light layer. I do wish that it were a little heavier and sturdier for winter but it should work well for slightly warmer days.

Grey Cardigan: This is the Emerson cardigan knit out of Woolfolk Far that I knit in 2017. I don't think I ever blogged this one. The sad thing about this cardigan is that the yarn is fluffy-clouds-made-of-kittens-soft and it's so warm as to be borderline unbearable but it pills like crazy. As you can see in the photos it kind of looks like the dog's breakfast and it's only a little over a year old. I actually haven't worn it much because it pilled so quickly that I worry it looks too shabby to wear in public. I bought some cashmere combs to try to de-pill it and I should really get on that task over the weekend since the challenge starts next Tuesday. If I'm not successful I may just wear this around the house and that would be ok because it's like wearing the softest warmest bathrobe EVER.

Vests

Grey Faux Fur Vest: My second make from Butterick 6388 was actually the first one I finished. It was on my Make Nine. I thought that a vest would be a nice layering piece for my capsule and it gives me something fun to complete an outfit. It's also quite warm. I bought this wubby fleece from Joann Fabrics. it's a little difficult to work with due to the thickness of the fabric. I could not get 2 layers of it to go through my serger so I had to sew this on my regular sewing machine. The interior seams don't look super neat but I wasn't up for a hong kong finish and honestly it's so textured you can barely tell. I also left the front edges raw, though I did a single turned hem on the armholes and bottom. The patch pockets were a last minute addition. The pattern doesn't call for them but after I tried on the vest I felt like something was missing. I cut rectangles using the selvage edge of the fabric as the top and just turned and stitched them down. I really like this silly little vest and I think it will pair nicely with a lot of my other pieces.

Cardigans-Masquerading-As-Jackets

So truth bomb: right now my skills are not up to the task of sewing a tailored jacket. I hope to get there eventually but in 2018 I did not have the time or energy to really do it right. I had wanted to sew a corduroy blazer as part of my winter plans but I just didn't get around to it. It's unfortunate because I wear a variety of jacket styles all the time, whether it's blazers or moto jackets or utility jackets. Instead I chose 2 cardigans that have a bit more structure which gives them more of a formal, work-appropriate feel.

Black Sweater Blazer: I don't think I got around to blogging this one. I sewed it in early fall out of some leftover poly sweater knit that had been in my stash for an age. The pattern is McCalls 7254. I made one fatal mistake with this cardigan. You're supposed to interface the collar and I did not have quite enough tricot interfacing on hand as the pieces are pretty long. So instead of waiting patiently until I could make a run to Joanns I skipped it. And of course the collar is very floppy and doesn't hold its shape at all like the modeled photo. Because of that and the fact that the fabric is a not-that-nice poly that collects lint like CRAZY I haven't worn this very much. I do quite like the pattern so one day I will make a do-over in some nice ponte or something similar. but for now this will do since I didn't have many more professional-looking options available (see above) and basic black is handy.

Cream Sweater Blazer: I really wanted to sew the Fulton Sweater Blazer (another Make Nine goal). I used boiled wool/viscose from Blackbird Fabrics that I bought during their Black Friday sale. I know a lot of people had problems understanding the collar instructions but by looking at the diagrams and watching the video on her blog I didn't have issues following it. I did however have problems executing the instructions due to the thickness of my fabric. I used tailor's tacks and stay-stitched the stitching line but my fabric was so thick that it just didn't want to stay put no matter what I did. I must have re-stitched the collar notch at least 6 times. Eventually I just left it because I was worried about ruining the integrity of the fabric in that spot. I also had issues trying to get sharp points b/c of the fabric thickness.

The only other details I can remember is that I handstitched the hem and really wish I would've handstitched the sleeve cuffs because I think they would've looked better. I also shortened the jacket to cropped length and did a broad back adjustment. I like the cropped length but I think I would've liked it at hip length too so I'd someday like to sew another version that's just a bit longer. Also, my broad back adjustment might have been too much for a thin layer like a t-shirt, but it's really nice to wear with multiple layers underneath like a button-up shirt over a turtleneck. So I haven't decided if I would change that next time or not--it probably depends on which season i'm making the jacket for.

It's silly but I'm a little afraid to wear this because it's white and I'm worried it will get dirty. but that's life.

Tomorrow should be a short post. I just have to talk about the dress I made and give a brief overview of the shoes I've chosen for the capsule.

Winter Handmade Capsule 2019: Bottoms

I have selected 8 bottoms for my Winter Handmade Capsule: 4 pairs of jeans, 2 pairs of pants, 1 pair of leggings, and 1 skirt.

Other posts in the series:
Intro
Tops
Outer Layers
Dresses + Shoes

Jeans

Dark Wash Boyfriend Jeans: To be honest if I had other options I would've left these off the list. This was my first successful pair of Morgan jeans and right now it's the only handmade dark wash pair I own. I've really gravitated towards higher-waisted pants and away from boyfriend jeans this past year so these aren't my favorite. Because they are a looser fit they tend to slide down and I have so many cropped shirts in my capsule that I'm not sure how well they will work with these jeans. But perhaps they will be a good relaxed weekend option. I haven't made any high-waisted dark wash jeans because I own several RTW pairs that I still like and wear.

Light Wash Straight Leg Jeans: I never got the chance to blog about this make but I'm very proud of it. I've been wanting some vintage 90s-esque Levi's straight leg jeans like the ones at Re/Done. I hacked the Morgan Jeans pattern to make them high-rise and I straightened out and cropped the leg. I studied vintage Levi's to copy as many details as possible, like the fact that Levi's use silver jeans buttons but copper rivets. I had purchased some Japanese selvage denim from Threadbare fabrics in a lighter wash. However when it arrived the color wasn't quite what I was expecting as it was more of a mid periwinkle blue. I decided to use the reverse side of the fabric so that they would look more like traditional light wash jeans. The fabric has a tiny bit of stretch but only about 10% so it still worked fine for the pattern. I feel really good about the construction of these jeans but the fit still has some issues. I'll talk about that more below.

Grey and Vanilla Skinny Jeans: I want to talk about these together as there's a bit of a journey with this pattern. So the natural Cone Mills denim Ginger Jeans were on my Make Nine. I cut out just enough pieces of the cream jeans to baste-fit them (legs, yokes, 1 waistband). I fortuitously decided to add 1" seam allowances for some fit security. Then I basted and tried them on and they didn't fit.

So I got pretty discouraged and put the fabric away, thinking I'd repurpose it for something else eventually. I made alterations to the pattern and cut out the grey fabric instead. The grey denim is from Style Maker Fabrics and has only 15% stretch so I added even more to the seam allowances to account for less stretch. I constructed my grey jeans without incident, but I kept having to adjust the fit to the point that I think I overfitted them. Without getting into the weeds right now, basically if I want jeans to fit my large thighs and calves then they are super baggy at the knees. and if i keep taking them in at the knees they look really weird, which is what happened with the grey jeans. I also get this back-of-thigh twisting thing that happens with both the Morgans and the Gingers and I haven't been able to get rid of it. I'm 90% sure it's not a grain-issue, instead I think it's a body + pattern issue. So now I'm thinking the patterns aren't a great match for my body type and I'm eager to try a different jeans pattern to see if the results are the same. I own the Mimi G skinny jeans pattern and I will probably try that one next. And if that doesn't work I may end up sacrificing one of my Paige jeans to the sewing gods and take it apart to draft my own pattern because this problem doesn't happen to me with RTW jeans.

Oh yeah I almost forgot to talk about the cream jeans. So after making the grey ones I went on with the rest of my wardrobe plan and I finished much earlier than I was expecting. I had time to make one more garment and I decided that the fit of the cream jeans wasn't *that* bad since I did all this fitting on the grey ones and they still weren't great so I got them back out and sewed them up. And the fit isn't good but I can't say that they look worse than the grey ones. The only change I made on these was that I did an exposed button fly. I was nervous to do it because a hidden button placket isn't as big of a deal if you screw up the buttonholes but if you mess up your front, you'd have to cut another front (and I didn't have any more fabric). but it worked out ok in the end except that I had a terrible time hammering on the buttons because I forgot to cut the tips off the tacks. I'm a tiny bit worried that one or more of my buttons will someday pop off but I'll deal with that when it happens. I haven't worn the white jeans yet and I've only worn the grey ones once so maybe the fit isn't as bad as I think it is. I'll find out during the challenge.

Pants

Wide Leg Ponte Trousers: I don't wear my Como pants all that much but they are nice to have as a change-it-up sort of garment. They are really comfortable to wear which is awesome.

Black Pleated Ponte Trousers: I needed a pair of black bottoms for my capsule. I already own a few pairs of RTW black jeans so I decided to go a different route and make slightly more professional but still comfy pants. Butterick 6388 is an awesome wardrobe pattern and I actually made all 3 pieces for my capsule. They suggest making the pants out of french terry or sweatshirt fleece but that seemed a bit weird to me. I used ponte which has a decent amount of drape for the pleats and looks dressier. I haven't worn these yet but they are very comfortable and surprisingly flattering. I grew up in the 80s and 90s and have sort of internalized the mantra that pleated pants are the devil but happily i'm discovering that it's not necessarily an automatic truth.

Leggings

Grey Leggings: This is another pair that I wouldn't have chosen if I had other options available to me. These leggings were amongst the first items I made when I returned to sewing garments last summer. I hadn't figured out yet that knits (especially leggings) need to be constructed with woolly nylon thread. The thread has popped on these in several places and I've repaired them a few times. They technically fit but they tend to get uncomfortably tight across my gut if I wear them for more than a few hours. But I needed a pair of plain leggings in my wardrobe. I will probably mostly wear these at home.

Skirts

Blue Wool Skirt: Finally one last make that I'm very happy with to end on a high note. In my winter plans I had talked about wanting to copy a Boden skirt that I liked with big patch pockets. I had a yard of precious Pendleton wool that a friend had given to me years ago and I'd always been scared to cut into it. I used a Burda magazine pattern as a base. The original skirt was a knee length a-line with slash pockets. I shortened the skirt, omitted the side pockets, drafted my own patch pockets, and added a full lining. I'm proud of my construction details especially since I pretty much did it all on my own without instructions. The finished skirt is almost exactly what I had been envisioning and I think it will last for many years.

So that's it for today and tomorrow I will go over my outer layers.

Winter Handmade Capsule 2019: Tops

I have selected 14 tops for my Winter Handmade Capsule: 3 shirts, 6 sweaters/sweatshirts, and 5 tees.

Other posts in the series:
Intro
Bottoms
Outer Layers
Dresses + Shoes

Shirts

Chambray Shirt: This was on my winter sewing plans list. I used McCalls 6649 OOP and some tencel chambray fabric I bought from Joanns. I cut a size 8 and it mostly fits well but I made some adjustments for next time, widening the upper back and the hips slightly, as both are tight on this version. I followed the class The Classic Tailored Shirt for construction and I'd highly recommend it. All of my seams are flat felled, including the sleeve cap, and I'm really proud of how the shirt looks inside and out. I've worn this several times already and it's a wardrobe staple.

Buffalo Plaid Shirt: This was on my Make Nine. I used some cotton flannel that had been in stash for 10+ years and New Look 6561. I sewed a size 8 and only made length alterations and the fit is really good. It's a very loose relaxed fit shirt so sizing down was the right call. I again used the craftsy class for construction and I changed some of the details, like I added a yoke lining so that the inside finish would be clean. I also very carefully matched the plaids and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. The only thing I don't like is the tie cuffs. I thought they would make a cute detail but the instructions were a bit vague so my execution wasn't great and I should have shortened the sleeves slightly more b/c the ties get in the way. If I had it to do over again I would put on a regular cuff but it's fine as is. I will probably make this pattern again. It's perfect for an oversized button-down in a drapey fabric, like a Rails-esque shirt.

Black/White Check Shirt: I've blogged this one so I won't go over it again but I will add that I really love this shirt. I get so much wear out of the cropped length with high-waisted bottoms. It'll be a great piece to layer or to wear on its own when the weather is a little warmer.

Sweaters/Sweatshirts

Cognac Cabled Pullover: The Kerrytown that I knit last year is one of my favorite sweaters. I just love the color and texture. Madelinetosh DK has not turned out to be one of my favorite yarns unfortunately because it's heavy and it pills very easily but the colors are so beautiful I almost don't care. I always feel like it's a good outfit day when I pull out this sweater.

Colorwork Yoke Pullover: I completed the Sunset Highway pullover in 2017 and it is also one of my favorite sweaters. It's a perfect lightweight layer that pairs nicely with button-up shirts or turtlenecks or I can wear it alone.

Blue Rib Turtleneck: I've blogged about the Neenah turtleneck before, so I will add that I wear this more than I thought I would. It's a good basic. It is, however, exceedingly hot and best kept for the coldest days.

Olive Cropped Hoodie: The Brunswick Pullover was also on my Make Nine. I used olive eco sweatshirt fleece from Style Maker Fabrics and I bought some premade ribbing and cuffs to go with it. I used a scrap of scuba from Joann's for the hood lining and pocket contrast and I used an unused shoelace for the drawstring. I cropped this hoodie quite a bit and I like the effect, however I should have shortened the kangaroo pocket because it looks out of proportion on. Otherwise I'm really happy with this make. I've worn it once and the hood is nice and large. It's great for keeping out the wind when you need it. I would love to sew the other version with the cowl and button plackets at some point.

Gold Velvet Funnel Neck: I have sewn Simplicity 8529 several times but I haven't blogged this version. I made the funnel neck with slits out of some stretch velvet from Joann's. This was my first time doing the version with slits and I had read online that the slits were too deep so I lowered them. However I overdid it a little and I wish they went slightly higher. I also used knit interfacing on the funnel neck because I worried it would be too floppy without and even stabilized it's still a bit limp. I can't quite put my finger on it but this isn't my favorite version. Upon reflection I don't think the funnel neck really works for me. In the future I would stick to the crew neck or elongate the neckband to make a turtleneck rather than doing the funnel neck again.

Floral/Stripe Sweatshirt: I've blogged the Ali Sweatshirt in the past. My verdict is I like this one but I don't absolutely love it. It's great for weekend loungewear but the excess bagginess keeps it from being a favorite.

Tees

Red/White Stripe Tee: I bought the Sewaholic Renfrew back when it was all the rage and I sewed several versions in my previous sewing life. I got it back out to make this tee. I've slowly learned over time that I need a broad back adjustment so I think I added 1 inch to the upper back and the fit is spot on. I also wanted a normal tee so I eliminated the cuffs and hem band. I was having a lazy day so I zigzagged the edges instead of coverstitching them. I'm pretty sure the fabric is a bamboo knit that I got from Style Maker Fabrics. To be honest this wasn't my best work but it is a perfectly functional basic tee.

Olive Tee: I tried out the Molly Top from Sew Over It. If I recall correctly I moved the neckline in a bit because it seemed too wide. I'm pretty sure I cut out the size 8. I used rayon jersey from fabric.com. I was unhappy with the quality of this fabric. it wrinkles easily and it's thin and doesn't seem like it will last very long. but again, a perfectly functional basic tee at the moment.

Striped Crop Turtleneck: These last 3 were sewn during my recent holiday sewing binge. I sewed these in tandem as a batch and I learned that I hate batch sewing. Even though it's technically more efficient I find that I get tired of repeating the same steps and I pay less attention to detail when I'm sewing multiple garments at once. I'd rather just make one t-shirt from start to finish even if it takes me longer. This is the free Yoko Top pattern from Jalie. It seems to be making the rounds these days on Instagram and I can see why. It's extremely easy to put together. I cut the size R and shortened it a lot for a cropped fit. I find that super boxy tops can overwhelm my petite frame if they aren't cropped. The only thing I dislike about this pattern is the 1/4" seam allowances. I prefer 3/8" for a little extra security and if I make another one I'll likely add 1/8" to the seam allowances. I used a microstripe bamboo jersey for this one and I don't like how floppy the turtleneck is. Otherwise it's great, though admittedly I haven't worn it yet.

White Turtleneck: A basic top that was also on my Make Nine. The pattern is Burda 6367, a basic slightly dropped shoulder tee out of bamboo jersey from D&H Fabrics. I decided to go with the turtleneck for winter but again, it turned out floppier than I'd really like. Actually I've concluded that I don't really like bamboo or rayon jersey for tees. I hate sewing it and it tends to be too lightweight to hold its shape. In the future I will be looking for more natural fibers for tees like organic cotton and linen or hemp. The fit on this is pretty good but I need to go back and shorten the sleeves and body length a little more. I'm sure this will become a TNT pattern. it's an easy fit tee and there are options for a normal neckband and bishop sleeves, which I would like to try at some point.

Stripe 3/4 Sleeve Boxy Tee: Lastly we have another Mandy Boat Tee. I made one of these last summer and didn't particularly like it but that was back when it was only one size. I tried out the new version and made the smallest size. I also cropped the shirt and did 3/4 sleeves. This is probably my favorite tee in the capsule. I haven't worn it yet but I'm very excited to try it out. It has just the right level of boxy-ness that I like and the length is perfect. The fabric is organic bamboo jersey from fabric.com and I would say that out of all my tees, this is the best application of the super drapey fabric.

Thanks for sticking with me through this super long post and I'll be back tomorrow to show pants and skirts.