How great are vests? This pattern is available on Squidney Knits Patreon and it's brilliant. Her whole method is to use your own measurements and spi (sts per inch) to create a personalised pattern. My version is knit with leftover Bendigo yarn from a jumper finished earlier this year so I was being yardage conservative at best. The ribbed band should be a bit longer but it's nothing between friends. The stitch pattern is a mix of knit and purls that is easy to 'read' what row you are up to. I much prefer to read my rows rather than make tally marks of where I'm up to. Makes me feel like even more of a knitting wizard. One interesting thing about this pattern is that the upper back and upper front are different widths. As you take your own measurements and work that in line with your gauge (5spi for me), it can be a different width for the front and the back. I have never knitted a garment where the front is not an exact repeat of the back but with neckline shaping. What a revelation! This did require wet blocking as the armholes and neckline are only 4 rows of ribbing deep. They kept wanting to flip upwards. They soon discovered my patience is not infinite. (Just a little Black Jack Randall quote there.) The wet block took an age because just after the vest had soaked, it rained for 3 days. Oh, and I used the double-worked super-stretchy bind off for the neck. I don't think "bind off loosely" is enough stretch. Aside: How much mileage can I get out of this 18th C shirt? Honestly, not enough. I love it so much. It can do Poldark, Outlander, any Jane Austen / Regency period, might even be able to shove it into early Victorian! Drama. Linen. Comfort. Historical. Vest: Knitted from Squidney Knit's Patreon Pattern - Scarecrow Vest Shirt: 18th C mens shirt Skirt: Squared out pencil skirt from the Blue Suit Shoes: American Duchess Claire
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I've been sewing since 2004, and properly sewing for myself from circa 2011. This blouse almost broke me. Every seam I stitched for the shoulders and back neck facing had to be unpicked and redone. Hot tip: do not French the shoulder seams. It cannot be done. They need to be regular 15mm seams to do the origami-fold-back-neck-facing-madness. I struggled and toiled and swore. I even watched the sew along video to no avail! Almost defeated, I pinned the facings the way it should work when finished, and then reverse engineered where to sew. The poly crepe fabric is from Spotlight, purchased many many moons ago. I remember being drawn to the warm mustard and dusty pink tones. It was a delicate floral beacon, bewitching me from the shelves. There is a lot of hate on poly fabrics at the moment in the sewing sphere but they can be really great for travelling. Don't need ironing, quick dry crepe, scrunchable in a suitcase. It's such a practical win. The Anderson Blouse pattern is absolutely designed for a fabric that naturally drapes in a gorgeous way. Essentially, I am Gillian Anderson now. Well, Gillian Anderson as Stella Gibson in The Fall. I wonder if I will make another. Maybe a cream brushed satin... Notes:
Blouse: Sew Over It - Anderson Blouse Fabric: Poly crepe from Spotlight Skirt: By Hand London - Charlotte Skirt (squared from the hip line, part of my Blue Suit) Sunnies: Local Supply |
AuthorKnitter. Home seamstress. Dance Teacher. Archives
April 2023
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