Canada Colours #2: Red and White

 Here's my second project inspired by the red and white of the Canadian flag.

I got creative with some scraps from previous projects and tweaked a pattern I'd taken from a RTW top years ago.

For this version I made quite a few changes.

The front is all one piece but a little narrower at the top and with a slight V neck.

The back has a centre seam. The front hem is a little shorter than the back and the sleeves were cut a lot shorter but then have deep cuffs.

Here's more detail on how I created this simple pattern.

https://ruthieksews1.blogspot.com/2018/02/pattern-traced-from-rtw-top.html

Some new Patterns (Big 4)

Hobbycraft have been selling off their Big 4 patterns. I ordered online and picked up in store.

Simplicity S3069, so I can try the Barrel Leg Trend.

Simplicity S9645, a new knit top pattern.

Simplicity S8843, Anorak to make a causal coat (or two).

Butterick B6862, a Palmer Pletsch Advanced pattern for a smart jacket.

Vogue V2016, an Average difficulty pattern for a jacket (but I'd need to swap out the sleeves!)

Butterick B6497, an Average difficulty pattern for a coat.

Have you made any of these patterns, how did you find them?

Canada Colours: Red and White

Here's my first project inspired by Canada, and a fairly literal one.

Placemats with a map of Canada!

The fronts were a panel I bought at the Cloth Shop on Granville Island, Vancouver.

https://theclothshop.com/

I used some backing from my quilting stash and bought a metre of Insul-bright wadding to use in the placemats. I thought that'd help protect the table from hot dishes.

I did two rows of stitching round the edges and also on the red bands at the sides. Then made shapes inside some of the provinces to secure the layers in the centre section. I can always add more stitching later if I think it needs it.

They are not perfect, but they are good enough and will be in use this evening for our meal!

Holiday Purchases

The holiday in Vancouver and Vancouver Island was wonderful. I'm still getting over the jetlag.

I made a few small purchases along the way, but will share the sewing related ones.

A purchase from the Cloth Shop on Granville Island, Vancouver, panels to make up a set of 4 tablemats. I've found some suitable co-ordinating fabric in the stash for the backing and have some insulbright on order.

And right at the end of the trip, when we were back in Vancouver before we flew home, I had a lovely time in Dressew where I bought 2 lengths of fabric and some haberdashery items.

I had an amazing time on the trip and took lots of photos as well as writing notes. There may be a series of  'Colours of Canada' sewing projects based on the inspiration from the trip.

More travel items

 Just a quick post with a few more things I made for my travel capsule

Cardigan (based on The Kinder Cardigan By Wendy Ward)

Cargo pants a mash up of Style Arc Delta Cargo pants with New Look 6216 and some extras of my own

Shirt in usual Prima pattern in cheese cloth/seersucker fabric

The Super Basic Tank from Halfmoon Atelier

The Super Basic Tank from Half Moon Atelier. 

The body is a remnant someone gave me and the bands/pocket scraps left from another project.

The main fabric is quite thick cotton tubular knit but has no recovery, so it's too hot for a tank and might be distorting the fit? 

The fit is not good on my body. The neckline is too wide and the underarms stick out, but the tummy/hip area is fine. 

I probably need to grade from one or two sizes smaller at the upper area out to the size I have lower down. I'm pretty sure this isn't worth trying to fix, so will add a label and donate. 

The little pocket is my own addition to try to tie the two fabrics together. I also curved the back hem down to be a little longer(the pattern is straight across)

It's a free pattern - https://www.halfmoonatelier.com/blogs/news/super-basic-tank-top-tester-round-up

I just cut a pocket shape from a suitable scrap because I loved the little bird.

I might try this again, with a smaller size at the top, and in a lighter weight fabric.

Floral blouse in cotton lawn

Cotton lawn blouse with pattern matching across the front placket and front patch pockets.

This will also be for my travel wardrobe, but pretty to wear at home afterwards too.

The fabric is a John Louden Superfine Digital Lawn, very lightweight. I bought it for £4.50 a metre at Boyes in the centre of Nottingham.

I used one of my TNT shirt patterns Prima shirt dress pattern from 2020, shortened to shirt length, changing the placket and cuff and adding pockets.

Delta Cargo Pant

 This is my version of the Delta Cargo Pant by Style Arc. These are also for my travel wardrobe.

I had made some changes to the pattern before I sewed it up, but once I had sewed them up I still needed to remove the waistband, reshape the front and back crotch some more and remove excess width at the front and back.

This has resulted in my losing the mock front fly and also moving the back pockets down a bit (the markings do not match the illustration above).

They are now wearable, and I have also added belt loops.

The main thing to note about this pattern is that it is very straight up and down, so if you have a curvy bottom you'll need to make some changes.

I might be better using the pockets and adapting my TNT pattern to look more like this style.

The fabric is Mocha bengaline Stretch Fabric from T9 fabrics.

Shorts for my travel wardrobe

Khaki stretch woven shorts

These shorts have replaced a similar style pair which are now worn out. In an improvement over the old pair I added zipped pockets into the side seams.

In these shorts I inserted a zipped pocket in both sides, but I often only put one in the right side (as I'm right handed).

How to Install a side zipped pocket when sewing trousers/shorts etc

1. For each zipped pocket you need one concealed zipper and 2 pocket pieces. If you have front slash pockets, construct these first.

2. Finish the side seam of the garment and the matching area on the pocket pieces (as you won't be able to do this later).

3. Open the zipper. With right sides together install the zip into the side seam using a concealed zipper foot. Check the zipper works!

4. With right sides together sew one pocket piece to each side of the zip using a standard zipper foot. Leave the bottom 2.5cm (1 inch) unsewn.

5. Close the zipper and lay the garment face down on a flat surface with both pocket pieces towards the front. Due to the zip tape width they will not line up perfectly, this is how it should be. (I find it easier to cut two identical pocket pieces and then offset them, rather than having different sizes and remembering which way to put them!)

6. Pin the pocket pieces together and stitch round the pocket, turning back the seam allowance of the piece underneath (use a zipper foot for the tricky bottom bit), then neaten the edges.

7. Sew up the rest of the side seam, up to the point where the concealed zip was sewn in. From the top stitch down about 2.5cm (1 inch) to make sure the zipper tape doesn't show there.

8. Stitch the excess zipper tape to the side seam.

9. Finish constructing the garment.

These are a bit fiddly to do, swapping between the concealed zipper foot, zipper foot and standard foot, but I love having both types of pockets, especially when travelling.

The pattern used was the trousers from New Look 6216, shortened to knee length.

Planning a Travel Wardrobe

DH and I have an exciting upcoming trip to Vancouver and Vancouver Island in Canada, so I've been planning my travel wardrobe. 

I like to have a limited colour palette so that whatever is still clean and weather appropriate can be worn.

I bought a new raincoat in a greeny blue colour and have shoes in olive and sand.

I'm still refining the casule, but these are the current picks.

We've only got 2 and a half weeks until we go, so not loads of time for sewing new things. So I'm trying to use my head and not get carried away!

P.S.

If you live in the Vancouver area and want to get in touch about the trip you can contact me at 

sew DOT ruthie DOT style AT zoho DOT eu

Anyone for Tea Dresses

 The "Anyone for Tea" dress was the July pattern from the Weekend Sewing Club 

Floral version in cotton poplin ditsy print (navy on white)

Lengthened version in a fun tropical print (this was a thrifted duvet cover)

I also added pockets to this one

Here's the line drawing.

This is a great pattern for using a few pretty buttons from the button tin. For each dress I had three on the front and a different one on the back.

Note to Barbara from Vancouver - I have lengthened the pattern by 6 inches (15 cm). The skirt is very flared, so continuing that out to be longer also makes it wider at the hem.

Blue and white batik co-ord set

 Blue and white batik co-ord set

The shirt uses Simplicity 9200 View C with the sleeve shortened to elbow length and the culottes are adapted from New Look 6438, with my crotch curve, an elastic waist and front side pocket with a curved instead of a slash this time (because I fancied it!)

The fabric was a remnant picked up from a charity shop (thrift store/op shop) which had some areas where the blue had run a little or not quite taken but I've managed the layout by having the worst areas on the inside of the waistband, pockets etc.

The blue came off on my hands like it does sewing denim, so I think it is indigo and is likely to fade when washing.

Cream and Blue summer shirt

 

This fabric was a funny shaped remnant from Auntie Joy. It is a cotton lawn.

I used some craft buttons in a similar shade, shape and size as the flowers.

The pattern is Simplicity 9200 View C with the sleeve shortened to elbow length and straightened out (as I like that silhouette on shorter sleeves)

Finished Memory Dogs (and a bonus)

These are for family members on DH's side to remember his SIL who passed a few years ago.

Her daughter asked me to use two of her mum's embroidered sweatshirts to make 2 memory dogs, one for her sister and the other for her daughter. 

The green sweatshirt had a few bits of embroidery which wouldn't fit onto the tummy of the first dog, so the second dog has a butterfly on its tail and I also made a surprise gift for the requestor to remember her Mum.

There wasn't enough fabric remaining for another dog, but I did manage a hanging heart with a wording, a scrap of the original embroidery and a label from one of the sweatshirts.

She was pleased with the photos of the dogs, so I hope she's happy to get them at the weekend, and likes her bonus heart :-)

For construction I had two sewing machines both with a jersey needle, one with pink thread, the other with turquoise and constructed the dogs in parallel. The pattern is Kip the Keepsake Dog by Funky Friends Factory.

Wording was embroidered on my Janome Memory Craft 200E and then the pieces cut out afterwards.

The heart was self drafted. 

Taupe Linen Mix Shorts and Culottes

I had some linen mix fabric in my stash, a fine herringbone in dark brown and ivory, with an ivory and ginger stripe in it. Overall the fabric reads as a taupe colour (grey/brown) with a slight self stripe.

The shorts are knee length, and may need shortening a little, I'll see how they are to wear.

The culottes use the cropped line on the pattern and have longer slash pockets.

Both are adapted from New Look 6438, with my crotch curve, an elastic waist and slash side pockets.

BLOUSE FROM LAST YEAR

Very pleasingly they work beautifully with the blouse from the co-ord set I made last July, which will expand its wear considerably.