Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Class samples II

I've been so busy sewing that I (almost) forgot that I did have some more pictures to share.  These are all from Pamela's Patterns.  Nothing too terribly exciting, but these classes are quite popular.  People are absolutely amazed at how easy it is to get these to fit well, and how quickly they come together once the fit is all sorted out.
Magic Pencil Skirt & Perfect T-shirt
My usual "brown palette".  (I love brown!)  The skirt is a heavy knit of dubious lineage.  I liked the colour.  There's lots more left, probably for leggings and we'll see what else.  I actually fitted this skirt properly.  The previous one I made straight out of the package - no fitting, just to get it into the store by the deadline for samples.  I do like the way it fits, now that I've taken the time, though I had to cut down the xsmall by quite a lot.  When it comes home, I think that I'll add a lining to it.  Wearing slips is all fine and dandy, but I find that skirts just look better on with a lining.  The t-shirt was actually cut last year during a sample-sewing marathon.  It's a polyester knit.  Chocolate brown.  I'm not quite sure whether I like this type of fabric.  I certainly can't wear it in the summer when it's hot and humid.  In winter - it's not really warm.  Guess that leaves autumn and spring - and that would make it a "transitional fabric"?  On the plus side - it's very easy to care for.  As for how it wears - we shall see.
And then we needed a pop of colour to this grouping...
Cool Cardigan
I finally dared to use this orange fabric.  I noticed that there are others putting oranges into their wardrobes.  This is mine, though it's true colour doesn't quite show here, and I'm calling it toasted apricot.  It actually joined the fabric cupboard years ago.  I must have liked it well enough in the store to bring it home.  Unfortunately, the family dubbed this "pumpkin", and for some reason that just put me off this piece for years.  Now there is no-one to criticize my colour selections anymore (dogs are colour blind, right?), and I decided to be rather daring.  This is a sweater knit with the nasty tendency to run, which necessitated rather careful handling, serging of all raw edges, etc, etc.  Once made up, though it's extremely easy care.  (I know, because I bought two other colours of the same fabric which have long been in wardrobe circulation.)
Just wanted to respond to some of your comments and questions...  (I really have to figure out a "system" for doing this!!)
All the samples will be hanging at the sewing shop from now until the end of June.  At that point they will either join my wardrobe, or wait until an appropriate occasion comes up to be gifted to someone.
Where samples are hung is not up to me.  Quilts get priority and wall space, because a lot of them are large.  My stuff (small by comparison) usually gets hung around off shelves, etc - wherever there is space.
Thank-you for the suggestion of increasing the s.a. on the neckline of the pj top.  I have contemplated that - unfortunately, beginner sewers (and for most this is only the second item that they are sewing!) are so overwhelmed with all that they have to learn and remember - redrawing lines on their patterns would really drive them over the edge.
At this point I have 8 of 11 pieces done.  The most nerve-wracking is lying on the cutting table, calling my name. I'll certainly tell you all about it - later.  For now - back to sewing, and I do hope that the sun peeks out soon, so that I can take some pictures.

10 comments:

  1. I too am a fan (or perhaps fan-atic) of these patterns. I love your color combo here with that great pop of rusty peach.

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  2. These look great! You are really on a roll.

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  3. These are lovely-I am using lots of browns and rusts this season, and love that toasted apricot cardigan. It is NOT pumpkin ;-)

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  4. Such a chic combination. I love the color of the toasted apricot cardigan and agree with Mary, it doesn't look like pumpkin.

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  5. Definitely, you should rush headlong back for more in your closet bold colors, that gives life and positive energy when you use them. Love the cardigan! The mixture of colors is very refreshing.

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  6. Personally I'm all for orange in the wardrobe. I love the 'cool cardigan' - a versatile and well executed piece.

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  7. Some lovely new pieces here, and I am a lover of orange. I like "pumpkin", that moniker would not put me off :) But burnt apricot sounds very yummy indeed :D

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  8. Well, my wardrobe is not complete without orange, so I love your cardigan. I really like the high neckline, very pretty.

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  9. Sorry I missed this before! Anyway, these are some really lovely pieces. Like Carolyn, "pumpkin" wouldn't put me off. Burnt apricot is great, but it makes me wonder, just what would that taste like? :) I bet these look great on!

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  10. These are some excellent pieces to put on display for the class.

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