sweater alterations, zipper installations, and a last minute Rhinebeck trip
Each Wednesday I post little snippets about what’s happening, and what I’m working on.
You can see all of the Wednesday posts here.
I didn’t do a ton of knitting this week, but three important things did happen.
Firstly, I added length to the sleeves of my boring black sweater.
I did this by cutting off the cuffs, picking up the live stitches of the sleeve, and then grafting the cuff back onto the sleeve. I added 2.5 inches and just need to weave in the ends and re-block the sweater.
Secondly, I added the zipper to the sweater I started three years ago.
Quite successfully I think. I wore it yesterday, it fits great (yay!), and it really is kind of the perfect transitional weather sweater.
Thirdly, I went to Rhinebeck and all I took home were some sheepy photos.
A friend and I decided at the very last minute to go, so we went up for the day on Saturday. It was beautiful – I hadn’t been in a couple years, and sort of forgot just how much fun it is.
Nothing came home with me, I didn’t see anything I had to have, I think I’m just in a finishing things up phase (which is actually a pretty good phase to be in.)
The Blue Kimono – one of the first pieces I made for the self-made wardrobe
This blue kimono was one of the first things I made specifically for the self-made wardrobe project. It’s one of the pieces I wear most often, and it’s definitely one of the pieces I get complimented on the most.
The fabric is a sheer navy (probably polyester), with embroidered squares that have been glued on, sort of a “novelty chiffon.” It was a complete impulse purchase from A&K Fabrics, and cost pretty close to nothing. 2 yards of fabric got cut up into 6 rectangles, and 5 of those rectangles turned into a kimono.
The pattern is my own, but I’m not really sure it could be called a pattern.
I laid out the fabric and portioned it out into 6 rectangles. 2 front pieces, 1 back piece, 2 sleeves, and 1 neckband (which didn’t get used, and which isn’t in the photo.) The fronts are approximately half the width of the back, and the sleeves are pretty close to squares.
(left to right: french seam, flat felled seams, sleeve hem)
Since the fabric is sproingy and unravels easily I used a combination of french seams, and flat felled seams. Then I did deep hems & cuffs, with stitching at the top and bottom edges, the stitching was to keep the hems flat, and the depth was to give the hems a bit of weight, so the kimono would hang nicely.
It works with dresses, skirts, jeans (even if they aren’t self-made), and is kind of the perfect light layer to throw on.
I wore it all summer, a bunch of this fall, and I sort of doubt I’ll put it away entirely this winter. Self-Made Wardrobe Win!
The Self-Made Wardrobe Month 2
A checked-in with the experiment of getting dressed without clothing labels.
How Often Did I wear What?
Black tank top: 29 days
Black maxi skirt with a slit: 8 days
Graphic Silk Circle Skirt: 8 days
The easiest jersey vest ever: 8 days
Cascading flowers maxi skirt: 6 days
Red & white striped pirate skirt: 4 days
Blue kimono: 3 days
The birds & bicycle flare skirt: 2 days
Moonstruck sweater: 1 day
Jersey wrap dress: 1 day
Gingham skirt: 1 day
Why Did I Wear What When I Did?
Black tank top – my default always. I have a couple of them that I rotate. Next I think I’m going to try perfecting a camisole.
Black maxi skirt with a slit – I always feel a little lost for what to say about this skirt. It’s a black maxi skirt with a slit. It’s easy to wear, it was easy to make, it’s easy to style, it’s easy to run around it. It wins this month for ease.
Graphic silk circle skirt – part of what I love so much about this skirt is that it’s easy to throw on and very comfortable, but since it’s a silk, it looks more put together than it would if the same skirt were made in a cotton. (Now, I sort of want a version of this skirt in cotton, and one in wool.)
The easiest jersey vest ever – no seriously. the easiest vest ever. 1 yard of light weight jersey with two slits cut in it. That’s it.
Cascading flowers maxi skirt – I think it’s interesting that this skirt dominated August, but September had more balance between my black maxi skirt, my graphic silk circle skirt, and this skirt.
Red & white striped pirate skirt – arrrggghhh!
Blue kimono – sometimes the quickest projects and cheapest makes turn out the best. This kimono gets complements almost every single time I walk out the door in it. I think it’s the fabric.
The birds & bicycle flare skirt – It’s interesting to think about how frequently we wear certain garments, and how that changes over time. A couple summers ago I absolutely *lived* in this skirt, now I only pull it out every once in a while.
Moonstruck sweater – (I figured out the name! and it turns out I guessed correctly!) This was one of the first successful sweaters I knit. The pattern is the “Moonstruck Sweater” from Blue Moon Fiber Arts, and the yarn is Dream in Color “Classy.” I don’t wear it often, because I keep meaning to add a hook & eye to keep the bottom from gaping. Even though it’s a 15 minute alteration, I just keep putting it off, so for now I’m using a safety pin.
Jersey wrap dress – I forgot about this dress a little bit this month.
Gingham skirt – maybe this skirt has a superpower that means I can only wear it once a month? But probably not, it’s more I have a couple alterations that I want to do to it, and I keep putting them off in favor of making new pieces.
This Month In Blog Posts:
: Week 5
: Week 6 – I just want a pair of damn pants
: Week 7
: Week 8 – sweater weather is here
: 8 clothing related reminders from Month 1 of the Self-Made Wardrobe. Because reinventing the wheel every time sucks.
: The Versio Sweater – a body, sleeves, and a change of plans.
: Some thoughts on selfies and self-portraits.
: The Perfect Transitional Sweater – Hopefully.
: The Versio Sweater – hood, finishing, and making twisted cord.
