Bad Taste

まったくやる気の出ない1週間でした。読書も裁縫もせず、夕ご飯もかなり適当（目玉焼きとか）な毎日。洗濯洗剤にかぶれて体中カイカイできちゃってて、抗ヒスタミン剤飲んで眠気に襲われまくっております。
買出しにスーパーに行ったら、趣味の悪い花束売ってました。
もう、こんな色にされた花束買うぐらいなら、造花買えばいいのにね。

I have to wonder: who would buy real flowers that are turned into these ugly artificial coloring?

FO: So Zo Vest #2

赤いカットソーの残りの布で、キャミソールを作りました。
布の量がものっすごいぎりぎりで、ひとつサイズを大きくしたかったんだけど入りきらなかったので以前作ったサイズ（ちょっときつかった）でつくりました。やっぱり次はもうひとつ大きいサイズがいいな。

I made a camisole from the left over fabric from the wrap shirt. Instant gratification. Like a candy bar. Especially when my sewing machine and serger were already set up with right tread with right tension setting.

The pattern is So Zo... What Do You Know's free download vest pattern. As soon as I realized that there was a substantial uncut block of fabric left from the wrap shirt, I knew I had to make this. It was tight, though. I wanted to make a size larger but did not even have a 1/4" extra width or length left so I made the same size as my last one.

Just like I noted in my previous one, it is tight around armpit/high bust area where the elastic hugs my body. But it it is totally wearable. I did not have a correct color fold over elastic (it's more pink in real life than the deep red of the fabric), and I did not have a correct color thread to match the elastic, but that's OK.

Now I have to clean my sewing room, take the red threads out of my sewing machine and serger, and go back to my jumper dress.

FO: New Look 6150 Wrap Shirt

赤いカットソー完成。長袖のカットソーが欲しかったの。
カットソーだと思って甘く見たらかなり手直しが必要で、縫ってはほぐし、縫ってはほぐしでした。

Disregard the unpressed back seam.

My wrap shirt is completed. This is my summary.

The pattern is New Look 6150, and I made a view A with gathered, wrapped front and 3/4 sleeves.
Fabric is rayon knit jersey with 8% Lycra. This was actually a kit I bought from Craftsy when it was on sale (the kit comes with fabric and the pattern).

According to my measurements, I am size 12, but I thought the fabric was stretchy enough that I needed some negative ease so I cut a size 10.

My first basted bodice was unfortunately too tight. Because of the very soft drapey fabric, it showed all the lumps and bumps. So I let out at sides and center back.

I inserted the sleeves flat and serged the seams then sewed the sleeve and side. I tried it on at this point, and the fit was terrible. One, the shoulders were drooping, almost like sleeves on a kimono sleeve shirt. Two, the sleeves were too loose. Three, the underarm was so huge that it was like a bat wing shirt. Also the front neck line did not fit me at all. Overall, upper chest portion had just too much fabric. The overwrapped front neck was too high, which was actually accurately depicted in the pattern cover photo, but it did not look good on me.

So I narrowed the sleeves by 5/8", raised the underarm seam and took in the sides from arm pit to waist. I also took in the center back at upper back portion (thus the unpressed seam in the photo above).

The biggest change I had to make was to cut the neck line.

This is how much fabric removed from the front neck line

Because I cut the neck band portion front the front bodice, the back neck is just turned inside and sewn with a silk organza salvage as a stabilizer. The front neck line is just left as is. It gets just folded inside about an inch or so. The wrap hugs my body well enough that the neck line does not gape and the neck line stays folded.

I still think the fit is quite not right, but it's a knit shirt, it's gathered, and it's wrapped. I think I can get away. I may try this pattern again some day, but before I make another wrap version, I think I need to nail the fit better using a view D, which is just a simple 3/4 sleeve T-shirt with no gathers and no wrap.

WIP: New Look 6150 Wrap Shirt Day 3 & 4

カーディガンが出来上がったところで、赤いカットソー作成に取り掛かりました。
・・・が、しかしっ！制作手順の意味がわからず、とりあえず今晩はここでギブ。

Huh?

Now that my Newcastle cardigan is done, I am back to New Look 6150 wrap shirt project.
I know, I'm supposed to go back to my McCall's M7014 jumper, but I need to iron my lining so that will have to wait.

Anyway, so the wrap shirt.
I cut the fabric and started sewing... And I just don't understand the instruction #4 and I'm stuck. I know I've read somebody explaining it in a blog or Pattern Review while I was researching on this pattern but I just ran out of time for tonight.

FO: Womanizing Newcastle Cardigan Summary

カーディガン、着てみました。

Newcastle front

ちょっとオヤジっぽくなりすぎた？
オットの感想「箱型」「ボタンとボタンホールの位置が微妙にずれてる」。彼の意見は厳しい。
裏がフリースなのでとても暖かいです。

So my Thread Theory Newcastle cardigan is finished and this is my summary.

I made a view A with accent shoulder and back yoke and small shawl collar.
The main fabric I used is a fleece backed sweatshirt knit (100% cotton), and I used a never-been-used polo shirt (65% poly) in my stash for shoulder and back yoke. The color choice made this a bit too much grandpa-y?

When I made it previously, there was a huge collar gap around my neck and my arm holes were HUGE. So this time, I printed the PDF pattern at 80% and cut a size XL. This eliminated the need of narrow shoulder adjustment and the arm holes were much more to my size.

Of course, by printing the pattern at 80%, it shrunk the collar and front placket but I'm fine with that. Because of the narrow ending of the shawl collar, it rolls out a bit despite understitching. You can see the blue-gray of the polo shirt fabric I used for an undercollar.

I probably should have re-drawn the seam allowance but I just cut the pattern at the cutting line and still used the 5/8" seam allowance. Call me lazy.

The 80% pattern took care of the upper body adjustment but it got too short so I added 3" to the bodice and 3" to the sleeves. It also got a bit too tight so I had to let out 1/2" at the side seams. 

I like the big long cuffs. Nice and warm.

Maybe because of the added interfaced yoke pieces and topstitching, the shoulder/upper chest has some structure and the garment feels more of a jacket than a cardigan. 

One feature I should have added was inseam pockets (not that I have ever made inseam pockets). I wore this to a grocery store today (with my blue chalk marks for button placing still on) and I was unconsciously looking for a pocket to put my key in. 

I am thinking of leaving this at work so that I can wear it whenever my office is freezing, which is pretty much every day (why does the AC kick in in the middle of January and why do I need a space heater year long?).

FO: Womanizing Newcastle Cardigan Day 6

ボタンを買いに行って、やっとカーディガン完成しました！

Thread Theory Newcastle Cardigan

実は今までボタンホールがとても苦手で、ボタンがつくものはなるたけ避けていたんだけど、ボタンホールも練習してなんとかみったくなくない程度には出来るようになりました。

Practicing button holes

OK enough for me

Finally I went to Joann today and got some buttons, and today was all about concurring my fear of button holes.

I never had a success with the button holes with my machine and I have avoided any button holes so far. In fact, my previous Newcastle had snap buttons because of that reason.

Well, after several practice runs, I think I made some OK button holes. I will give myself a passing C. I forgot to lower the presser foot while sewing one of the button holes (because the fabric is very thick I did not realize the foot was still raised) and made a mess, and I did not have a button hole cutter and was too lazy to ask the Man of the House for a tool, so I used my not so sharp embroidery scissors to cut the holes and I think I cut more than a few threads and unraveled the button hole...

Anyway, overall, I think I'm happy with the result. I need to ask the Man of the House to take some photos so that I can see how it looks on me objectively.

WIP: New Look 6150 Wrap Shirt Day 2

カットソーの型紙を切って作業終了。私の裁縫プロジェクトはカタツムリの速さで進みます。まだ使う予定の布の選択してないからこれ以上先には進めません。選択は週末にしかしないからさ。

All I did today was to trace and cut the pattern for my NewLook 6150. I haven't washed the fabric yet so can't move any further than this. I also need a red serger thread...

WIP: New Look 6150 Wrap Shirt

ジャンパースカートの材料を買いに行ける週末まで、次のプロジェクトのカットソーに取り掛かることにしました。前身ごろが重なるシャツで、七部袖にする予定。
赤い布は洗濯籠へ。とりあえずインターネットでほかの人の完成品のリサーチから始めます。

NL6150

Although I am done with cutting McCall's 7014 jumper dress pieces, I had to put it aside since I don't have a zipper or lining. So I started my new project, New Look 6150 wrap shirt. I am going to make a View A, a gathered wrap front with 3/4 sleeve.

I have to put the fabric in the washer, but that would be over the weekend, so I will just do my research on Patternreview for now.

WIP: McCall's M7014 Jumper

カーディガンにつけるボタンを買いに行けるまで、ジャンパースカートプロジェクトに取り掛かりたいと思います。
もらい物の布がおそらく必要量のぎりぎりぐらいしかないので失敗せずに出来るよう頑張ります。っていうか、必要量あるのかな・・・。
でもこれもファスナーと裏布を買いにいかないといけないので、お店に行けるまでは途中までしか作れません。

While I wait for a trip to Joann (most likely over the weekend) to get my buttons for my Newcastle cardigan, I have started a jumper project. It is McCall's M7014.

The fabric was given to me and I may not have enough fabric so we'll see. But I don't have a zipper or a lining fabric or a matching thread, so I can only do so much with this one either. But it's OK. I like going to Joann with all my coupons and get everything 40% off.

WIP: Womanizing Newcastle Cardigan Day 5

カーディガンの袖を縫って、裾の始末をしました。
あとはボタンをつけるだけなんだけど、ボタンを買いにいかないといけないのでとりあえず週末までおあずけ。

My Newcastle cardigan is coming along.
I sewed the side seams and found that it was too tight so let out 1/2" all the way through sleeves and side seams, cuffs as well. It might be still a bit tight at the hip (I guess men really don't have hips) once buttons are sewn.

I also finished the hem and stitched in-the-ditch at the front placket. All I have to do now is to buy some buttons, sew buttons and button holes, which could be the most difficult part of the entire process since my machine doesn't do a very nice button holes...

Chocolate Decadance

ひさーしぶりにケーキを焼きました。

既成のケーキミックスに一ひねりしたレシピを使ってみたんだけど、ケーキミックスだからどうかな、と思ったら予想以上においしかったです。はっきり言って、小麦粉から全部自分で混ぜて作るケーキより全然おいしかったです。

チョコレートシロップが微妙にあまってもったいなかったのでイチゴのチョコがけも作りました。
でも私、チョコレートのかかったイチゴ、あまり好きじゃない。

Made a cake. I used a recipe called "Too Much Chocolate Cake" which uses a box of ready-made cake mix. I wasn't sure about the use of cake mix, but it has over 4400 reviews so I tried.
It takes a cake mix, chocolate pudding mix, then a whole bag of chocolate chips. On top of that, I made the glaze as well.

Oh my. It was unexpectedly super good. I used a bag of mini chocolate chips and they just perfectly melted in the cake.
Very easy to make and it was much better than I could ever make from scratch.
It was definitely a five-star recipe.

WIP: Womanizing Newcastle Cardigan Day 4

カーディガンに襟がつきました。

My Newcastle got a collar.
Because of my pretty heavy fleece- backed sweatshirt knit and yokes, it was very thick to sew together bodice, facing, and collar.

WIP: Womanizing Newcastle Cardigan Day 2 & 3

カーディガンちょっと進歩。

The foot control for my sewing machine that I ordered has arrived and it works! I am so happy to be able to sew slow. Yes, I am a slow sewer. No shame in that.

I came back to my Newcastle where I left off and found that after connecting the shoulders and top stitching the shoulders. I was trying to piece together the center front and the front placket. Then I realized that I sewed the shoulder seams wrong so that the center front was at the side seam and side seams were at the front. It was not fun unpicking the 4 top stitching lines and 2 seams from this thick sweatshirt knit.

So, after listening to the most recent This American Life podcast, I have only sewn front placket and facing pieces together. 

At this snail's pace, my this month's goal of finishing two garment pieces might have been a tall order...

Four-Wheeling

オフロードドライブについて行きました。
うちから40分ぐらいのところにある山の中のドライブです。
舗装されてる道ではなく、未舗装山道ドライブです。

うちのぼっちゃい車でのオフロードドライブは、気を許しているとムチ打ちか椎間板ヘルニアになるよ。

年末年始に降った雪が山の北側斜面にはかなり残っていて、車が登らなくて途中でギブ。
はっきり言って、ギブアップしてくれて良かったです。車が転がり落ちるんじゃないかと思って、途中私は車から降りてたぐらいだよ（徒歩でついていけるぐらいのスピードでしか走れないようなオフロードなのだよ）。

ぽかぽかの晴天の中、持参したお昼ご飯を食べたりなピクニック気分で、オットにいたっては17連休の最終日で、楽しい一日になりました。

I tagged along with the Man of the House for a four-wheeling trip to a mountain 40 minutes or so from our house.

There was a LOT of snow on the north side of the mountain and our truck could not climb up so we had to give up half way. I was so glad they decided to make a U-turn at that point. The snow covered path was so slippery and I thought the truck was going to slide off the cliff. We have gone four-wheeling enough and I trust the driving skill of the Man of the House, but at some parts of the path, I was too scared to be sitting in the passenger seat and just could not stay in the truck.

The weather was nice and warm. We ate our lunch under a clear blue sky.
Although we did not see any mountain lions or find creepy old mine, it was fun.

WIP: Womanizing Newcastle Cardigan

先日予告したように、今年の裁縫プロジェクト第1号はカーディガン。
PDFダウンロードの型紙なので、全部プリントして貼ってから型紙を切ります。

実は2013年に一度チャレンジしております。

1st attempt in 2013

首周りがぶかぶかなのが嫌で、結局ほとんど着ずに手放しました。
でもデザインは好きなので、手直しをしてもう一度チャレンジ。
材料は、これ。ポロシャツはアクセントに使おうかと。

I have started my first sewing project of the year, Thread Theory's Newcastle Cardigan.
And it is for me, despite it's a men's pattern.

I made it once back in 2013. Guess what. Thread Theory has my photo on their Pinterest board :)
I really like the design but I did not like the loose neck so I let it go.

One thing I noticed while I was doing some research on other people's Newcastle is that many people, I mean many actual men to whom this pattern is intended, have this loose neck line, or collar gap, so to speak. The collar does not sit close to the neck, and instead, it sits far away creating a huge gap between neck and collar.

This could have be designed on purpose for those gentlemen who like to wear this cardi over a button down shirt. In fact, the neck like of other people's Newcastle looks good if they are wearing a button down shirt underneath. Or it was meant for men with thick neck. However, my neck is not particularly thick and I am planning to wear this over a long sleeve T-shirt. I just do not like the collar gap.

I spent hours researching on how to alter the collar gap but I was not able to decipher what shortening collar or raising collar meant or did so I gave up. My sewing skill is not there yet.
So, I will just make a smaller collar version and see what happens. I don't even plan on making a muslin. Call me a gambler.

One thing I am trying with this one is to instead of cutting an XS, I have printed the patterns at 80%, and cutting an XL. In my previous version, I did narrow shoulder adjustment and 80% pattern takes care of that adjustment. Also it makes the armhole much smaller and not too baggy like my previous version. And like I said, I'm not even making a muslin. Call me a gambler x2.

Avocado has finally sprouted!

アボカド食べるたびに種の生育にチャレンジして数ヶ月。何度目かの種にして初めて根が出るどころか、芽が出た！！！
もうしばらく育ったら、使い捨てプラスチックカップではなく、ちゃんと鉢に入れたいと思います。

I don't remember how many avocado seeds we have tried so far but we finally got it to sprout for the first time. Good start of the new year.

This Year's Sewing Plan

新年だから、裁縫室の掃除をし、心機一転今年の裁縫プロジェクトを計画。
今年は以下のパターンに挑戦したいと思います。こんなに沢山は作れないと思うけどね。
1月の目標は二つ。カーディガンとワンピース。

I cleaned my sewing room for the new year and I am planning this year's sewing projects (while I am waiting for my new foot control to arrive).
I don't think I can practically sew all these patterns, but I will try as much.

Since I am a list mania, I listed and posted it on my shelf.

My January goal is to make Thread Theory Newcastle and McCall's 7014.

FO: The Bapron

涎かけ完成。５つ出来ました。

Finished Baprons

ファントム君にモデルになってもらいました。

Phantom modeling one of the Baprons

Happy New Year.
I finished 5 Baprons. Yey.

My foot pedal for the sewing machine is under the weather, however.
It has lost the gradual acceleration and now nothing happens in half the pedal depth and the second the pedal hits the connecting electricity, it goes full speed. I can no longer control the speed to sew just one stitch.

I had the Man of the House clean inside component and he said the washers were broken and corroded.

So my hunt for a new foot pedal starts. Hopefully it's not too difficult to find it online.

Happy New Year

明けましておめでとうございます。今年もよろしくお願いします。
大晦日の夜は氷点下でした。週間予報はこんな感じ。来週はまた暖かくなりそう。

氷点下でだめになってしまう前にと、まだちょっと早かったけど庭のグレープフルーツを収穫しました。

Happy New Year.
It has gotten cold and we had to pick our grapefruits though some of them are still slightly green.