Swoon Sydney Crossbody Bag

先日のポーチに引き続き、残り物の布を使って肩掛けカバンを作りました。
要するに全く同じ布コンビです。

旅行の時なんかに色々入れられるようにポケットがたくさんついた大き目のメッセンジャーバッグタイプの鞄です。
型紙はSwoonという鞄の型紙屋さんのシドニークロスボディという型紙です。

超大満足で、早速スターウォーズ見に行くのに使ってみました。
ファスナーにつけるタブをわざわざ買ったんだけど、結局今の鞄についていたキティちゃんキーホルダーをつけなおしました。キティちゃんに年齢は関係ないのよ。

I liked the brown vinyl and tartan fabric combo from the Blue Calla Clematis Wristlet so much that I have made a full-brown bag with left-over fabric.

The pattern is Sydney Crossobdy from Swoon Sewing Patterns. All the fabrics are left-over from previous projects.

First thing I did was to trace off the patterns onto manila folder and made a template. In addition to the "pattern pieces" that were printed, I also cut all the "in addition to the pattern pieces, also cut these rectangulars" pieces.

I don't think I will be making more of this pattern, but it makes it easy for me to mark and keep track of what pieces to cut with what material in what dimension. I have learned from the Clematis Wristlet that bag patterns don't do the pattern markings that dress patterns do, so I added notches at center and pleats and what-nots, and added grain lines. I also punched holes for magnetic snap placement and cut out opening for welt zipper placement for easy marking.

The pattern called for a center-pleated cargo pockets at the front. Since my "wool-effect" main fabric was very thick (plus I interlined with duck canvas), I omitted the center pleats. For magnetic snaps, I used the "slim" magnetic snaps, which feel more upscale than regular magnetic snaps for some reason.

My topstitching around the pocket flaps were less than perfect, but I can live with that.

The pattern called for one end of the main bag opening zipper to end flush with the zipper panel, but I extended the zipper on both ends.

The lining has a welt zipper pocket. I ran out of Ripstop so I used a scrap Japanese cotton fabric from my two-piece set for pocket lining. I added a mesh slip pocket and a bottle keeper on the other lining. 

The front panel has 2 flap pockets and a zipper pocket.

The back panel has a large slip pocket. The pattern instructs you to sew the bar tack at the pocket top center to keep the slip pocket from gaping. Instead, I added a magnetic snap. I also added a small welt zipper pocket inside the slip pocket. This is my hidden pocket to keep change.

I found these zipper tabs that matched my vinyl. I did however swap the zipper pocket tab to my Hello Kitty key chain that I had on my existing bag. What can I say, I'm a Hello Kitty girl no matter how old I get.

Bag in action at a movie theater. Worn together with my Minoru jacket.

The construction of the bag was actually much easier than I anticipated. It's just many pieces to cut and sew, but it's nothing more difficult than making a zippered pouch. I wish dress making was as straight forward as bag making...

Blue Calla Clematis Wristlet

犬のベッドカバーを作った残りの布が、「私を鞄にしてください」と言っていたので、手始めにポーチを作ってみました。
Blue Callaという鞄の型紙屋さんが無料ダウンロードで出している型紙のクレマチスという型紙を使用。
アクセントに使っているのはコスプレでベストを作った残りのビニール布。
裏布はリュックサックを作った時に買った布のあまり。
と、無料ダウンロードの型紙とあまり布で作り上げた、とっても低価格なポーチです。
チェック柄もちゃんとマッチできて、大満足です。

The fabric I bought for making the dog bed/crate mat covers was so nice and substantial but soft, and it was screaming "Make me into a bag!" So I made a wristlet.

The pattern is The Clematis Wristlet from Blue Calla. It is a free download!

The main fabric, as I said, is the left-over "wool effect" cotton/poly blend upholstery fabric. I really like this fabric.

The accent fabric is a brown vinyl left-over from my Zoe Washburn costume. 

And the interior is the Ripstop left-over from my backpack.

Since all the fabric was left-over, I splurged myself with loads of hardware: D-rings, lobster clasps, belt sliders, and rivets, all in antique brass colorway.

There is a slip pocket inside. I apparently forgot to change the bobbin thread when I top stitched the zipper.

Speaking of top stitching. I used a bonded nylon thread for top stitching. I wanted something substantial for top stitching over vinyl and bonded nylon worked really well. Now I have a ginormous cone of brown thread so all my future vinyl project will most likely be brown.

I'm still very novice in sewing vinyl and using rivets, but I am very pleased with how this turned out.
Since I have just enough vinyl/main/and lining fabric left over, I am going for a full-fledged bag making with this combo next.

I lied: Another Simplicity 1283

初雪降りました。雪国ではないので積もるほど降りません。

先日のお家ジャケットの残り布で、タートルネックのトップを作りました。
型紙は、やっぱり同じ型紙で、シンプリシティの1283番。
なんか、袖が短すぎたわ。手首がちょっと寒い。そして袖ちょっと細めすぎた。下にババシャツ着てるとちょっとゴロゴロするのね。

I thought the last smoking jacket was the last of this pattern, but I lied. I used the left over fabric from the jacket and made a top. I was kind of going for a Toaster Sweater by Sew House Seven look.

So the pattern is the Mimi G design Simplicity 1283 that I've been using over and over for the past couple of months.

I used the view A, cropped top pattern, that I modified to make a regular T-shirt length shirt.
I pretty much used the same modification and changed bit to accommodate the thicker, less stretchy, quilted jersey. The modifications include:

(I cut size 12)
-Lengthened by 9 5/8"
-Narrowed shoulder by 3/8"
-Horizontally taken in above bust by 1" and match the sleeve cap
-Let out 1/2 to 1" at side seams
-Narrowed sleeve by 3/8" both seams
-Shortened sleeves by 2"

My modified pattern was for a fitted stretchy shirt, so even though I thought I put some ease back,  it was not enough for this type of sweater look. The armpit and the upper sleeves are a bit crowded with a long sleeve shirt underneath.

Note to myself for next time.
-Make the neck opening larger
-Double up collar height to roll it down
-Lower armhole or eliminate the 1" horizontal shortening
-Loosen sleeves
-Lengthen sleeves back to original pattern length.
-Let out at bust
-Add CB seam and contour?

One thing I noticed about this fabric, a poly quilted jersey, is that it is surprisingly NOT warm at all.
By the way, I'm wearing my Simplicity 1283 knit pants. I need to work on the under-butt wrinkles...

Last of Simplicty 1283, Smoking Jacket

かなり寒くなってきたので、家の中で服の上に羽織る、いわば半てんのようなジャケットが欲しくて、作ってみました。
型紙は、ここのところずっと使っているシンプリシティの１２８３番。一つの型紙に、いろんな服の型紙がついてくるのでこの型紙はとってもよし。
生地は花模様にキルティングされているニットで、写真だとかなり紫だけど、実際は、ちょっと見黒な、ものすごく濃いナス色です。
ちなみに外の気温が６度ぐらいだったので、すっごい親指握りしめてるわ（笑）

Now that it's getting really cold, I wanted a house coat that I could wear over my sweater or even hoodie. So I made a knit jacket. Worn together with Butterick 5526 shirt.

By the way, I look funny in the photos with my thumbs in the fist. It was freezing cold outside. I guess it's my defense mechanism.

The pattern is Simplicity 1283, Mimi G design unlined jacket. Yes, the same pattern I was working on for the past 3 projects :) This pattern set is definitely a perfect capsule wardrobe builder. Considering the fact that you can buy the pattern for $2 at Joann, this is such a big bang for the buck. (Makes me more hesitant to buy indie patterns that are so expensive for a single pattern)

I made a view D, which is an unlined jacket pattern. It has patch pockets and a belt.

There was a wool mix fabric that I was eyeing on for this jacket, but it was 29 British pound per meter (about $35/yard). So I bought this cheap quilted poly jersey for a toil. It doesn't just have a quilted effect; it actually has some thin batting or fluff in between the two jersey layers.

The outdoor photos show the fabric color more purply, but in real life, it's a very deep eggplant, almost black like the below fabric close-up photo.

Couple of things I changed design-wise. You can see in the envelope photos that the belt goes over the collar in the original design. It looked too messy for me, so I shortened the collar by 3" so that it ends above the tie belt.

Then, once it was finished, I did not like the look of the tie belt on me altogether, so I ditched the belt and put a hook and eye at the end of the collar to keep the center front together. This means I do have belt loops sticking out from my sides for no reason, but this is a house coat, so who cares.

For the fit, I narrowed the shoulder about 1" and lower the high neck point to change the shoulder slope, which then required to lower the center back a bit.

Since this is an unlined jacket, I attempted a bound seam finish for the first time. I failed miserably for a couple of reasons. It looks OK-ish in the photo, but if you get closer, the binding is super wonky and tucks everywhere.

I used rayon seam binding. I guess the first mistake was to even think about using a woven binding for a jersey. The two materials were just not compatible.

I originally started sewing the binding in 2 paths: sew one edge on the seam allowance, fold over the binding, then sew the other edge down. Two seam lines of incompatible fabrics = double the wonky seams.

Then I remembered that I had just bought a binding foot. It worked much better especially after I pressed the seam binding in half before sewing it down. But the quilted jersey just did not like being fed through and the rayon binding too drapy.

I am glad that I made this toile. This design just wasn't for me. The Man of the House called it a smoking jacket. With my button-up shirt on today, he called it "Ellen Degeneres in Hugh Hefner jacket."

I actually finished this jacket last weekend but I was so disappointed I did not want to take photos. Well, since then, it has grown on me and I am totally wearing it (like right now), but I don't think I want to attempt another one with expensive fabric.

Millennium Series

もうすっかり寒くなって、朝霜おりてた。本当にものすごく寒いんだけど、凍った野原と霧の出た空に朝日が昇っていくのはものすごく美しかったです。馬が放牧されているところでは、逆光の中で馬たちの息が白くたちのぼっていて、寒いのも忘れて立ち止まってしばしうっとり。

犬は凍ってても気にせず草をむしゃむしゃ食べます。キジを見つめるユキ。

久しぶりに本を読みました。スウェーデンの推理小説家、スティーグ・ラーソンの「ミレニアム」シリーズの第３作、「眠れる女と狂卓の騎士」。
シリーズ１作目の「ドラゴン・タトゥーの女」がハリウッドで映画化されています。ダニエル・クレイグとルーニー・マーラね。
実はもう３作とも昔読んだし、ハリウッド版の映画も見てるし、スウェーデンのテレビシリーズもずっと昔に制覇している。ネットフリックスでハリウッド版の「ドラゴン・タトゥーの女」とスウェーデン版の２作目の「火と戯れる女」をやっていたので久しぶりに見たんだけど、３作目は出ていなかったので本で読んだ。長いし、無駄な部分が多いんだけど、話は好き。

It is getting cold. I have not lived in full-fledged winter weather for such a long time. But regardless of the temperature, when the sun is out, the country side England is just as beautiful. I took the dogs out for a walk in the morning. The grass was frozen and the fog was covering the lower ground. The dogs still ate the frozen grass every opportunity they got and made light crisp sound as they much on the grass. When we reach the horse field, I saw the horses further down the field against the rising sun. The horses sparkled against the bright sun light and their breaths rose like smoke as they breathed. It was breathtakingly beautiful and I had to stop and watch until it became too cold to stay standing still.

It took me over a month but I finally finished reading The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson. It is the third installment of the Millennium series, or more popularly known as the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series.

I had read the series before, watched the Swedish TV series  (longer than the movie), and the Hollywood adaptation of the Dragon Tattoo before. I watched the Hollywood's Dragon Tattoo on Netflix last month, then there was the Swedish film version of The Girl Who Played with Fire on Netflix as well. But they did not have the third one, so I had to read the book.

I do feel that especially this 3rd installment book, the writing is not great. It's not necessarily the writing (especially when I'm reading an English translation), but I think the book needed a bit of editing. I don't mind the length, but some part of this book could have been organized a bit better to streamline the story. Some parts are disjointed.

I wonder if the Swedish court system is really like how it was in the book in real life. The way the evidence was presented during the trial without the other side's knowledge is crazy.

So, the author, Stieg Larsson, passed away after completing the 3 installments. I did not know until very recently that the series is being continued with a replacement author. Luckily, when I went to the library yesterday to return the book, the library had the 4th installment, The Girl in the Spider's Web, on the shelf so I grabbed it. Let's see if the story is still interesting to carry on.

By the way, this is my biggest fear about A Game of Thrones series (or correctly, A Song of Ice and Fire series). I have been a big fan of the series and patiently waiting for the new book. I mean, if it took him 6 years to go from book 4 to book 5, and that's before the HBO series, I don't even know if he's going to even finish the book 6...

Simplicity 1283 Mimi G Knit Pants Ver. 2

先週作ったニットパンツが非常に履きやすくて気に入ったので、もう一つ作ってみました。
型紙はシンプリシティの1283番。布はグレーのポリエステル・レーヨン混紡のポンチニットです。
ジーンズがきつくなって、こんなゴムウェストのパンツに頼っています。
まだまだ改善の余地大なんだけど。

Mimi G knit pants 2 weeks in a row. This was one of my fastest sewing projects ever. I started cutting fabric this morning, and I'm already done before dinner time.

The pattern is Simplicity 1283, Mimi G design. The same pattern as last week.
I made View C, the knit pants.

The fabric is poly/viscose/spandex ponte. I bought this with the black ponte I used in my previous version. Same price but this one is much smoother and dog hair does not stick onto it as much.

I did the same alteration and design change as last time.

• Cut the size 12
• Raised knee 3"
• Omitted back zip
• Omitted front darts
• Changed waist band length to match
• Shortened horizontally above crotch 1.5"
• Scooped in back crotch
• Inserted 1.25" elastic in waist band. 

I traced how I scooped it last time on the pattern so I refined it a bit. The red line is the new cutting line.

The below is the center front. I let out the front crotch curve a bit. The blue line is the original cut line. However, when I was going through these photos, I realized that I had created camel toe. Yikes. I probably over-did this alteration.

So I sewed in a bit at the curve just now. Hopefully the "toe" is not as noticeable.

I still have lots of wrinkles, but this pair looks better than the last one probably because I'm wearing heels this time and the fabric hangs better. I give myself a passing grade. I mean, this is a pair of elastic-waist knit pants that doesn't look like pajamas. How much better can it be.

Simplicity 1283 Mimi G Knit Pants

ニット生地で、パンツを作ってみました。
型紙はシンプリシティの1283番。
先週？作ったタートルネックシャツと一緒の型紙です。っていうか、タートルネック着てるし。タートルネックの上に重ね着してるのは、ちょっと前に作ったカットソーです。あら、そしたら全身自作服コーデですね。
生地はレーヨン／ポリエステルブレンドのポンテ・ローマ（ポンチ？）。犬の毛が超つくんだけど。
前身ごろのお股部分と後ろ身頃の太もも周辺のフィットがまだまだ発展途上。
ちなみにもう暗くなるのが早くて屋内写真となったので、黒いパンツが見えやすいように写真の露出最大限にあげています。

I thought I had a late start this morning, but fortunately, the day light saving time ended and I had an extra hour! So I got on sewing and made knit pants today.

The pattern is, again, Simplicity 1283, Mimi G design pattern. I made View C, which is the knit pants.

I used poly/viscose/spandex ponte. The fabric is jet black. I have increased the exposure on these photos to see the wrinkles.

I cut size 12. In order to fit my non-existing waist and ever so protruding belly, I eliminated the front darts, which add 2" to the waist circumference.

Also, I am short (5'3") and short-legged on top of that, and I don't wear high-heels, so the legs were obviously too long for me. I raised the knee by 3".

The pants are a bit too high-waisted for me, so I shortened above crotch by 1.5". I also did a low butt adjustment by scooping the crotch curve deeper. Here is the photo showing the original seam and my low butt adjustment. (I used my cover stitch machine's chain stitching to test the fit so it's easier to remove the stitches)

The pattern calls for a back zipper and hook & eye at the waist band. I eliminated them both, and put a 1.25" elastic in the waist band. That makes these pants essentially yoga pants! But hopefully they look nice enough to wear it in public as regular pants.

As you can see, there is still a lot of wrinkles both front and back, but for now, I'm happy with it.

PS: I am wearing my turtle neck shirt that I made last week, and my Simplicity 1805 kimono sleeve shirt. So, yeah, my outfit is entirely me-made!

PPS: The Man of the House asked me what I was wearing, after looking at me wearing what I was wearing, meaning he does not approve my outfit. I told him I was going for an art teacher look. He then said I look like Barb, from Stranger Things, meaning I look like I'm from the 80's. (He just binge watched the Season 2) Well, then I guess I'm going for the art teacher from the 80's look.