I love the A Stitch in Time books by Susan Crawford. They are a gorgeous collection of vintage patterns that have been written out with different sizes, as well as updates on yarn and yarn substitutions. If I could make one of every single pattern, I would! The time and effort that has gone into these books is off the chart. It's great that the books walk through the decades and describe style lines and trends of the time. It's a great resource for knitters. The 30s patterns are all divine. So are the 40s ones. And the 50s... The whole thing is a delight. I have styled the Jan Sweater a couple of different ways, but this so far has to be my favourite. It was paired with my Simplicity 3688 black skirt made from some polyester blend. It's been blogged about earlier. It's actually a very handy black skirt for work. Pearls are from eBay, marked as Avon. The yarn for Jan was a Debbie Bliss yarn that my wonderful mother found at a little yarn shop where she lives, and for a steal! Link to my Ravelry page here for my notes and thoughts.
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A second post about Simplicity 3688. This time, skirts! I made the size 10 in the skirt (12 in the pants). They fit pretty well. I do have issues with the waistband though. It's like the pattern was printed incorrectly because none of the markings for buttonhole and buttons are in the right spot. If I cut the pattern face-side-down it all works out. And yes, I have check the cutting guidelines. On to the skirts. The first one I made was an awesome burgundy corduroy from my local Spotlight. It's toasty in winter and I like the rich colour. It is such a great basic skirt. The colour goes well with other handmade and store bought items in my wardrobe. It does get a good wearing workout. The burgundy skirt was such a hit that I had to make it again! This time in a basic black (it actually matches my black pants from a previous post). Still made it in the size 10 but boy, it is tight around my waist. I don't know if I did something weird. Perhaps the fabric is much more stable and doesn't give at all. Deploy the foundation garments! I tried making a gorgeous grey wool version with the recommended top stitching down the front and back panels. In a size 12 because this black one is a bit tight over my tum. Size 12 was HUGE. Easily a few inches too big. What on earth happened?!? This is why Simplicity and I don't get along. Not-So-Simplicity-Patterns. I've left it languishing in a corner, thinking about what is has done. Shame really, because the wool fabric is rich and gorgeous. Machine stitches disappeared into it beautifully. Of course! What a pain to unpick.
On my sewing machine currently is a red version (that matches my red cuffed Simplicity 3688 pants). Hopefully I'll get around to finishing it soon, ready for spring. If only I had a light pink vintage style cardigan that would be perfectly tonal.... Ah, Simplicity patterns. What a love/hate relationship we share. The dress/top patterns are totally wrong for me. I have man-shoulders and Simplicity patterns require way too much work for me to do. I flat out couldn't be bothered tweaking all the little bits that don't fit me. They are too small in the armsyce, the shoulders are too narrow, the necklines are in the wrong spot, waists are too short. In the end, I'm totally the wrong shape for Simplicity torso patterns. And believe me, I've tried a few. Simplicity 3688: pants and skirt pattern, 1940's reproduction. (I'm ignoring the blouse for aforementioned reasons.) The pants are wonderful. I have three pairs already. Size 12. I am very long of leg so I add 5" to the length of the 14 size leg length even though I cut the rest out as a 12. I also dig the skirt pattern. I'll do a separate blog post about the skirts later. First pair were in a blue poly suiting that frayed like mad. It was such a wrestle against the clock to get the bound seams done before I lost too much of my fabric. For that pair, I doubled the height of the waistband. I dig it, but I haven't made another pair like that. Second pair was another black poly suiting something fabric. A little thicker than the blue pair. I use these as basic office pants . I also made the matching skirt in the same fabric. They are a great basic black pant and I made them long enough so I can wear heels with them. It's rare for me to find pants long enough I can rock heels. It's great to be able to control that. Sewing win! The raw edges are covered with the overlocker stitch on my Husqvarna Emerald 116. Nothing fancy there. I also used a black zip and thread from my stash. My most recent pair are made from killer red poly suiting. I added fold under cuffs. LOVE THEM. Great colour, cuffs are awesome. Will certainly be doing it again. If I want to add cuffs but wear the pants with heels, I'd have to add about 7-9" to the bottom of the pattern. Sadly, I don't have any pictures of the cuffs! I will have to remedy that shortly. I have worn them for office work, for lecture teaching, and for dancing ceroc! I can see myself making more and more of these pants. My stash contains the most delicious wool and wool blends in gorgeous tonal greys. Must get them pre-treated and start making before the weather changes.
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AuthorKnitter. Home seamstress. Dance Teacher. Archives
April 2023
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