Thursday, January 27, 2011

Squeal! My Fabric Is Coming!

Here is the pattern I have chosen to adapt for a maternity swimsuit.

Kwik Sew 3779:


I got both pink and black fabric, plus lining, elastic, and bra cups. I think I'll make a pair of swim shorts and leave off the "underpant" bottom. I'm not sure yet how I'll work the gathers in the front to accommodate a pregnant belly. Hope that something magical will happen.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

I am still alive!

If anyone is still reading this, I am still alive! I have been neglecting my sewing machine for knitting.

Here is a cropped cardi made out of a cotton bucle yarn (Knitpicks). It is so soft. I want to wear it with a dress in the spring or summer.


This is another spring/summer top to wear with almost anything. It is cotton and acrylic, also from Knitpicks.


This is an alpaca tweed yarn. This was my reintroduction into cable knitting. I haven't done it in ages...I admit that I loved it! I chose to add a ribbon facing to the button bands and do machine buttonholes. I was a little wary of combining knitting and machine sewing, but it works really well. Many of the rtw sweaters that I have involve machine buttonholes.



This is a superwash wool. It is very soft!


Me, wearing it...I am so happy with the fit! For many years, I made awful awful sweaters. Ugly colors, weird sizes. I am starting to understand how to match the yarn and pattern. Working with the guage swatch has been a big focus of mine.



Some of you may not know, but I am pregnant! I am due July 6th. I nursed my son for 18 months, and I regret not having many breastfeeding friendly tops. My bras were ugly and my clothes were ugly. Here is a Jalie criss-cross top that is specifically for nursing. It was easy to assemble. It is worth mentioning that if you want to use it as maternity wear, you need to size up a little and use a fabric that is super stretchy. I think the pattern recommends fabric with 70% stretch. That info is not well advertised...I'm glad I picked the right fabric!




I managed to knock out this Simplicity dress this weekend! It is also for maternity wear. I made no alterations for pregnancy so I could wear it afterward. I don't mind if the front creeps upward.

The gray leggings are a Kwik Sew pattern. It is so easy that you could do it with your eyes closed! Instead of using elastic in the waistband, I made it into a yoga-pant type that can be rolled up or down depending on the belly size. I think I need some in black.


I tend to be a little boring with my outfits...I need to try new things and learn about how and what goes together. So, do these leggings go with this outfit, or are they weird?