Category: Finished Projects

FO: Plantain Tee in Red Floral

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I made another Plantain Tee! This time I cut a size 44, and I’m happier with the fit. I also shortened the torso by 1″. I could probably take another inch out of it. (I’m 5’2″, so this is not surprising.)

The fabric was an impulse buy from Mood at $15/yd. I cut this out of 1.5 yds.

I’m particularly happy with:

  • the fit: it’s comfortable, and feels like the amount of ease I was aiming for
  • the collar: it’s my first time sewing a successful neckband on the serger, woohoo!
  • the pattern placement: eyy, it’s not bad, right? I like the way the floral matches up across the sleeves, even if it’s not a seamless pattern (that wouldn’t have been possible with this large scale design).
  • the fabric cutting: me and my rotary cutter are becoming friends. ❤️ I’m getting faster, which is good, because fabric cutting is what keeps me from sewing more often…

FO: Deer & Doe Plantain T-Shirt

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Hey look, I made a Plantain tee.

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I traced a straight size 46 for this one. Next time I’ll probably go down a size; there’s plenty of room, though it’s still a comfortable fit.

Not much to say about this pattern. It’s a basic t-shirt and I made the most basic version of it. Happily, this is almost exactly the style of t-shirt that I get the most wear out of, so I suspect I’ll be using this pattern many more times in the future. It’ll be nice to have a looser-fitting pattern to complement the close-fitting Renfrew Top, which I’ve already made four of. At some point I’d love to try the longer-sleeved version with elbow patches…

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The Plantain T-Shirt, long-sleeved version.

The fabric was some cheap cotton knit from Girlcharlee that I got for $1.50/yd; I used just over a yard of it. Since the pattern was free, I’d say this is one of my surprisingly economical makes!

More than anything, this was serger + speed practice. It took me about four hours start to finish to make this shirt. Progress! I’m still working on learning how to sew neckbands on my serger though….circles are hard.

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Merlo Field Tee, Take Two

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After a several-weeks’ sewing hiatus, I finally have a new FO. I was grumpy at my current works-in-progress, so I decided to re-make a pattern that I knew that I liked, in a fabric that I was excited to work with, in hopes of getting myself interested in sewing again.

I’ve been itching to make another Merlo Tee for a few weeks now. My first one was a touch too small, and tragically I’ve already managed to stain it. What can I say, I’m a messy eater with a drinking problem.

I cut a size larger than last time, and chose to sew the wide-necked view instead of the crew neck. I used a drapey bamboo jersey from Mood, in gold and navy. I was a little worried that it would look too sports-fan-ish, but once it was sewn up I decided I was pretty happy with the color combination.

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There’s something about the contrasting bicep bands on this pattern that I really love. I’m also a sucker for fitted sleeves and wide-bodied designs. I expect I’ll be making more of this pattern, though next time I’ll probably pick a more subtle color combination.

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Next time I might even try to make some fitting adjustments. This size is comfortable overall, but I could probably do with less excess fabric in the back.

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This was my second project constructed entirely on my serger, and I’m happy to say that I’m getting pretty comfortable with it! It’s still early to tell, but I suspect that the combination of rotary cutter + serger is really going to speed up my sewing. This new shirt came together over two afternoons, which for me feels quick.

Today I assembled a printed t-shirt PDF pattern, traced my size, cut it out, and cut my fabric in…about two hours. I don’t know if that’s fast or slow relative to other sewists, but it was certainly fast for me. I’m mostly able-bodied now, but tasks like tracing and cutting usually require me to take several breaks. This time I only needed a few breathers…

Next, I suppose we’ll see how quickly I can sew up the t-shirt. It’s a Plantain shirt from Deer & Doe, a super basic tee in the short-sleeved version (so no adorable elbow patches, alas). I’m just trying it out with a “nautical” striped knit that I picked up at Girlcharlee for $1.50/yd.

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First scraps

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I knit three hats in the last week-or-so. Three! But one in particular is special to me.

I started knitting in 2015. It did not come naturally to me, but: I was determined. (Some would say stubborn.) I had a very patient teacher. During that spring and summer I must have knit oodles of lumpy swatches. I made one fingerless mitt, and never finished its pair.

Finally, my parents gifted me a skein of Noro Obi for my birthday, along with a pattern for a simple garter-and-lace circular cowl and the needles called for by the pattern.

And I made it!

That left me with half a ball of Noro, which has been patiently waiting for me in my yarn bin. Finally, several years later, I used up all the scraps on a new hat.

I’ve been on a hat-knitting tear recently. I guess I’m craving instant gratification. After working in fingering weight yarn for a few months, it’s amazing how quickly a worsted or aran weight yarn works up.

This was my second time making a pom pom, and I’m pleased with it, though the Obi was a little awkward to work with (it’s so fragile!).

Going back to this yarn was a nice moment of reflection on how far I’ve come as a knitter. I am much more fluid; my knitting comes faster, more evenly. I have an intuitive understanding of my work. (This project was entirely improvised; I don’t use hat patterns anymore.) I have amassed a collection of yarn and handknits that – cliche though it is – brings me joy.

I took a long break from knitting to focus on sewing, but guess what? Looks like I’m back.

Catalyst Odyssey + Renfrew

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Here’s a shirt I finished last week. I’d been intrigued by this print from Art Gallery Fabrics for a while, and then I noticed it slowly vanishing from stores…and I had already exceeded my fabric budget for the month, but I wanted it…and what if I couldn’t get my hands on this print again?

So. I snagged a 1.5 yd remnant. Luckily, I managed to get an entire long-sleeve shirt out of that!

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As you can see, the shirt is somewhat translucent under direct, bright light. Whoops. I’ll probably be wearing a tank top under this most of the time.

This is the Sewaholic Renfrew pattern in View A, with some modifications. I graded between a size 12 for the body, size 10 at the neck, and size 14 at the sleeves. I took out about ~2″ from the sleeves and should have taken some length out from the torso as well – probably about 1-1.5″. At some point I should take the waistband out and shorten it; it’s so long that it’s almost a tunic on me.

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I’m proud of how nicely my neckband turned out this time. I’m getting more accustomed to sewing with knits.

I’ve made the Renfrew top four times, and it’s in heavy rotation in my wardrobe. I have two short-sleeve versions and two long-sleeved versions.

My march towards a ridiculous animal-print wardrobe continues! ✨