The Linden Tunic

Hey there everybody!! I feel like I haven't blogged in ages, but when I checked the date on my last post it's really only been a little over a week. I have been sewing up a storm and making lots more things, but sadly, I haven't photographed any of them yet. Sometimes I feel like blogging gets in the way of sewing, and I also like to have a bit of a selection of things to blog about so there's been a lot more sewing, than blogging and photographing going on lately. Anyway, I do have one project photographed and ready, so in the spirit of sharing all the makes, I bring you my Linden Tunic Experiment. I know, I know, we're sick of Lindens!! Well to be honest, I am not sick of making them or wearing them, or seeing them AT ALL, but I am a teensy bit sick of blogging about them myself. But because this one is a little bit different, I decided that you all might like to see how it turned out, in case you are thinking about making one for yourself.  Anyway, enough blabbing....

So I'm not sure this is my best looking project ever, but it is sooooo comfy!! I made it out of sweatshirt fleece I bought from Girl Charlee ages ago. I actually bought it to make a Lola Dress, but that doesn't seem to be happening anytime soon, so I decided to just use it for this. It's warm and thick and extremely soft. The right side of this fabric almost seems brushed. Very snuggly. Oh and the black ribbing is from Fabric.com.

So back to the pattern, all I did was lengthen in by 7 inches at the lengthen/shorten line. Easy peesy!

One time, a long time ago, (in a galaxy far far away), a very lovely sales girl at Anthropologie told me that a tunic  (or even a short dress) should hit you mid-thigh for the most flattering fit. Right at the point where your thigh starts to widen - does that make sense?  For some reason, that little rule has stuck with me. So that's where I aimed for the bottom of the ribbing to hit.

I was just looking for something snuggly and comfy to wear with leggings - so this pretty much fits the bill. I'm not sure I am in love with my fabric choice as it is a bit stiff and makes for a sack like garment, but it's okay. It's perfect for lounging around the house and being cozy, and if I need to sneak out to the store, my butt is covered!

I'm not sure if I will make this again. It's a little too plain for me. I feel like it needs a funner fabric, or pockets or maybe a waistline or something. The hunt for the perfect sweater dress/tunic continues!

Actually, not long after I made this up, Paprika Patterns released their Jasper dress. It has an interesting collar and a hood option with really cute welt pockets. So I might try that next time I'm in the mood for a snuggly sweater dress. (PS: I think that pattern is on sale until Feb 24th if you want to snatch it up too!) [Also, guys in the interest of all the advertising/affiliate links conversation going on in blogland - I want to let you know that I am not sponsored or affiliated with anyone at the moment. I know I link to tons of stuff, and I rave about lots of stuff, which may make it seem like maybe I am getting paid to do so but I want to be clear that I'm not. And I promise to tell you if I ever do get sponsored or sent any free stuff in the future. I am totally not against it, but I like it when bloggers are forth coming about it, so I promise to be too.]

So there you have it! I promise to blog something other than a Linden for my next post ;). Hope you all are staying warm wherever you are!

Forever in Blue Jeans...Ginger Take 3

Do you ever have those days where things just don't work out? That seems to be the story of my week with photos. I'm just in a bit of a funk. I finished these jeans on Sunday afternoon and have made several attempts to photograph them, but I am just not happy with how I look in the photos. I finally decided today, after 4 attempts that I was just gonna go with it. I mean come on, I made another pair of Ginger jeans!! I can't just hide them away from my blog because I'm having a bad hair/skin/shoe day.  So with that in mind, I am presenting you with quite a mish-mash of photos, but I think this combo showcases my latest Gingers quite well.

This is Version A again. I made a few changes this time: I lengthened the rise by 1 inch, and I lengthened the front crotch curve by 1/4" (I thought I would start small). I had a few smile lines on my last pair, so I thought that might help, but I don't think it made much difference; the lines are still there, they are just a bit straighter now. I might add another 1/4" next time, but I'm not sure. I'm pretty happy with the fit as is, so I don't really want to mess around with it too much more.

I also slimmed the leg down by an inch. I took 1/4 inch off each side seam on each leg, grading to zero about mid thigh. This made the legs skinny, but not super skinny like my last pair. I quite like it, although I am struggling with shoe choices. I have these cute booties, but they just look wrong, and I don't always want to wear tall boots. Yeesh! First world problems. But seriously what kind of shoes do you were with stovepipe legs?

For something different, I went with blue topstitching thread. I really like how it turned out. My machine had some troubles making barracks with this time, and I'm not really sure why. I'm thinking that maybe this thread was just a pinch too thick, or I might need a slightly thicker needle. Anyway, I took what I could get so the barracks don't match and are a little bit longer than I would have liked.

This lovely dark stretch denim came from JoAnn's in Palm Desert. We were in California back in November for a work thing for John, so we hit JoAnn's and we found lots of great fabric. I know that some of you American sewists don't think too highly of it, but I found a number of great bottom weight fabrics (at good prices) and some great flannels and shirtings too, plus I got a wicked deal on Olfa blades for my rotary cutter (half-price - and they were regularly priced half of what I pay for them here). So I have nothing but love for JoAnn's myself. (For my fellow Canucks, JoAnn's is like a combination of Michaels & Fabricland/Fabricville, i.e. Crafter's Heaven.) Anyway, I think this denim is awesome. It's stretchy, has great recovery, and it's kind of brushed on the wrong side, so it is super soft and it feels like pyjamas! Hooray for pyjama jeans!

As you can see, this pair isn't as highwaisted as the pattern's Version B, but they still hit just below my belly button. I really want to try Version B, but I'm afraid they might be a bit too high for this petite lady. I'm afraid the waist would sit right underneath my boobs, and I'm not sure that would be very flattering. But who knows? The 70's are making a comeback right? I may still give them a go just to see. I also went a bit rivet crazy on this pair. I changed the coin pocket so that you would see both sides of it (basically I just folded it under and topstitched) so that I could have more rivets! You can't see it, but I put rivets on both corners of both back pockets too.

I'm not sure I am in love with the high-waistedness. I can't decide if it's really flattering, or too mom-jean. You pretty much never see my waist anyway, cause my tops usually cover it, so it's not really a big deal, but I'm still not really sure about it. I probably just need to get used to it. I also went with the built in pocket stays as described in Heather Lou's  sew-a-long. I think they do make a difference in taming the tum, and adding a bit more structure.

As you can see I have also made 2 more Linden Sweatshirts. I opted for the short sleeved, hemmed version this time, but I'm not entirely sure it's for me. Super comfy, but I think my figure benefits from the hem band, so I may just stick with the long-sleeved version. Or maybe I'll just add a hem band next time. I have already professed my love for Linden in my last post, but I have to say it again, it's a great pattern. I whipped these up on my serger in just over an hour, and they are so comfy!! Both are made out of hacci sweat knits I had in my stash, but I think they are both from fabric.com. So that's it for now.

Do you have bad photo/blogging days? How do you cope, and/or what do you do to get out of the funk? Also have you made Ginger Jeans yet, if not, what's holding you back? 

More Grainline Studio Love: The Linden Sweatshirts

I think it's pretty obvious by now that I am pretty much completely in love with Grainline Studio. I haven't made all of Jen's patterns yet, but I do have most of them in the queue, and I am happy to say that the Archer and the now the Linden are definitely tried and true for me. Jen has such great, classic style and a real talent for drafting patterns (have you seen the sneak peeks of her latest pattern on Instagram - I can't wait!). Her pdfs are easy to assemble and her instructions and sew-a-long posts are amazing. I don't have much to say about this pattern, that hasn't already been said. It's simple and quick to sew up, it fits like a dream, and can be made with an array of fabrics. Did you see this version Kelly made in a woven? Wowsers!

Both of these are a size 8, and I made no fit adjustments except to shorten the sleeves by 2.5". What can I say I have petite arms. LOL . And I am also running out of creative poses (please excuse the mess of sheets in the corner, it's laundry day - Oops!).

The fit is great and super comfy. I love how this shirt has a slight hi-lo hem, the cut is very flattering. I cut a little triangle detail out of black ribbing to give the colourful one more of a sweatshirt look. It was pretty easy to sew on with a zig-zag stitch, but I would recommend interfacing it to give it stability before you sew it on.

This colourful fabric is a sweater knit and the black and white is a sweatshirt fleece. Both are from Girl Charlee. I only had 1 yard of each fabric, which proved a challenge. I cut the colourful one's sleeves on the cross grain which means very little stretch (which makes it tough to push up the sleeves) but the fit is still comfy. The black and white one has plain black french terry sleeves, as I thought it would look a bit weird with the patterned sleeves. The black ribbing is nice and soft and is also from Girl Charlee.

I didn't really plan the pattern placement (or worry about pattern matching), but luckily it worked out and I didn't wind up with any awkward bullseyes.

I actually first made the Linden pattern for my Mom for Christmas. I made her a gorgeous floral one, and she wears it like crazy. Unfortunately,  I don't have any photos of it to share with you.  It is great pattern to make up for someone else as it doesn't require much fitting, and is super comfy and snuggly for the colder months - I felt like I was gifting my Mom a big hug.

Anyway, I am really happy with the way these turned out and they are both getting weekly wear. I will definitely be making more.

What's your winter wardrobe staple?