Pullover Top: OOP Butterick 5561

I've made a few versions of out-of-print (OOP) Butterick 5561 over the last decade.  Most were gifted and there is only one currently in the wardrobe.  It fits over the brace so I thought I would revisit this pattern.  

This is the latest version.  Yes, a floral print for spring.  Actually, it was the egg shell blue colour that drew me to this print.  

The fabric is a lovely cotton fabric that reminds me of a Liberty cotton print.  It's not a Liberty cotton.  I found this in the quilting side of the local Fabricland.  It's not a stiff quilting cotton.  It's actually quite lovely both in the print and texture.  I picked up the last two metres just because I was seduced by the colour, print and feel of the fabric.  Oh and it was on sale.  That helped too.  But I digress.  The fabric was pre-treated with a tumble through the wash cycle and dryer before hitting the ironing board for a steam press.  It did have a shrinkage rate of about five percent.  Thankfully, with shortening the sleeve length, there was enough yardage of this 114 cm fabric to make this top.  The pattern calls for 2.4 metres.  

Sewing IS Political

This is another Canadian made and tariff free project.  This current copy of OOP Butterick 5561 recently came from a Canadian reseller.  The original copy I had of this pattern is lost.  The fabric and interfacing came from Fabricland, a Canadian fabric outlet.  The paper and fabric scissors used to cut this project were made in Tiawan and purchased at Fabricland.  The cotton Gutermann threads used in the serger were made in Greece and the silk thread used in the sewing machine were Swiss made.  The cotton threads were purchased from Marshall Fabrics and the silk thread came from Fabricland, both are Canadian fabric outlets.  

Project details

Seams:  2.8 straight stitch

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  2 metres (115 cm wide)

Interfacing:  0.4 metres

Pattern:  OOP Butterick 5561, circa 2010

Additional Tools and Supplies:  cutting table, paper scissors, fabric scissors, pins, wrist pin cushion, measuring tape, ruler, tailor's chalk, canned air, Janome 4120 QDC sewing machine, walking foot, iron, ironing board, Janome AirThread 2000D serger, threads, thread clippers, tweezers, hand sewing needle, tailor's wax, sleeve ham, heat pad, many breaks and tea.  

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.  

The Mending Pile: Blankets and Dresses

The never ending mending pile was calling for some attention.  First up was a duvet, it has been shedding feathers and needed some patch work.  

This was done by machine, once the holes were identified along the edges.  It is nice to have this piece of bedding back in service.  

I am going through the challenging work of editing my wardrobe.  I didn't wear this much loved turtleneck maxi dress at all this past winter.  And to be honest, I can't remember that last time I wore this dress.  It's time to change this into a pull-on skirt.  I know I will be able to wear it over the lower part of the brace.  

I did the same fix to this dress and it's one of my favourite pieces this past winter.  It's comfortable as a skirt.  The upper part of the dress is set aside with hopes to make a patchwork cardigan or pullover.  

I made another dress that ended up on the chopping block, the Merchant and Mills Trapeze dress I made a year ago didn't work out for me.  I felt frumpy wearing it over the brace.  And the gold metallic dots did not retain it's shimmer in high stress points such as the front underarm edge.  So it ended up on the cutting table and turned into another reusable grocery bag.  

Tools and supplies:  Cutting table, pins, pin cushion, seam ripper, fabric scissors, Janome 4120 QDC sewing machine, walking foot, safety pin, Janome AirThread serger, threads, heat pad, iron, ironing board and tea.  

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.  

Stash busting: Yes!, It's Another Elastic back skirt / OOP Vogue 1247 and Vintage Vogue 9918

The plan to replace out-of-print (OOP) Vogue 1247 skirts with the waistband and back zipper continues.  The versions I had once upon a time have found a new home and yes, it was hard to let them go.  These are versions that reflect my new reality and can be worn over the lower part of my back brace.  

This skirt was made with a medium weight 100% cotton fabric that I found in the home décor department.  The design is a combination of OOP Vogue 1247 and vintage Vogue 9918.  The front of the skirt resembles OOP Vogue 1247 and the back is all vintage Vogue 9918.  The front of OOP Vogue 1247 kept the integrity of those lovely pockets.  The front dart were eliminated and the front waist adjusted.  And of course, I lengthened the bottom of the skirt Vogue 1247 but also shortened the hem from the back piece of Vogue 9918.  The skirt hits below the knee.  

Sewing IS Political

This skirt is another Canadian made and tariff free project.  The fabric is a cotton print found in the home décor department at Fabricland, a Canadian fabric outlet.  As was the elastic used in this project.  The Vogue patterns, although being products of the U.S.A., did not contribute to the convicted felon's wars or tariff economy.  Vogue 1247 has been in the stash for years and I made the first version in 2012.  Vintage Vogue 9918, circa 1980s, came into the stash in 2023 prior to the global boycott against annexation rhetoric and tariffs.  The threads are cotton Gütermann threads and were labelled as made in Greece.  They were purchased from Marshall Fabrics, a Canadian fabric outlet.  The scissors used to cut this project are from Merchant and Mills, a company from the United Kingdom.  They were purchased from The Workroom, another Canadian fabric outlet.  

Project details

Seams:  2.8 straight stitch

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  1.2 metres

Elastic:  0.45 metres

Patterns:  OOP Vogue 1247 (circa 2011) and vintage Vogue 9918 (circa 1980s)

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Cutting table, fabric scissors, tailor's chalk, measuring tape, dressing making ruler, curve ruler, pins, pin cushion, Janome 4120 QDC sewing machine, walking foot, blind hem foot, Janome AirThread 2000D serger, threads, thread clippers, tweezers, safety pin, iron, ironing board and tea.  

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.  

Stash busting: Merino Wool Cardigan / OOP Kwik Sew 4192

 

Out-of-print (OOP) Kwik Sew 4192 hit the cutting table one more time.  And I am almost finished stash-busting the last of this black merino wool fabric.  Looking back on the blog, this fabric has been in the stash for at least nine years.  There is not enough left-over fabric for another cardigan, but maybe a sleeveless turtleneck?  Or more socks?  But I digress.  This cardigan is another piece that will fit into my Sudoku Wardrobe grid as a layering piece.  

The fabric is a lightweight merino wool that I found at Marshall Fabrics many moons ago as a bolt priced at $3.99 / metre or 99¢ if I purchased the whole bolt.  It was part of a collection of used bolts from a closed dressmaking shop.  And it was a bargain unheard of today.  How times have changed!  Of course, I took the whole bolt.  I can't remember how many metres were on the bolt but over the years, I've made five sweaters, many socks and a maxi-length turtleneck dress that is now re-fashioned as a skirt.   

There were a few modifications made to this version.  I added more ease at the side seams.  And pivoted at the centre back fold line at the neck adding more ease at the hemline at the centre.  I decided to leave the edges unfinished.  The previous versions have a rolled hem finished on the serger.  

Sewing IS Political

This is another Canadian made and tariff free garment.   The fabric, as mentioned, came from Marshall Fabrics, a Canadian fabric outlet.  The Kwik Sew pattern entered and left the stash before the convicted felon started a global tariff war.  I made a copy of the cardigan pattern before I resold the original pattern.  The scissors used to cut out this project are from Merchant and Mills, an U.K. company, purchased from The Workroom, a Canadian fabric outlet.  The Gütermann threads were pulled from the stash and likely came from Fabricland or Marshall Fabrics, both Canadian fabric outlets.  

Project details

Seams:  Knit (lightening bolt) stitch

Seam finish:  Serged

Pattern:  OOP Kwik Sew 4192

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Cutting table, pattern weights, tailor's chalk, measuring tape, pins, wrist pin cushion, Janome 4120 QDC sewing machine, walking foot, Janome AirThread 2000D serger, threads, thread clippers, iron and ironing board.  

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.  

Stash busting: Elastic back skirt / OOP Vogue 1247 and Vintage Vogue 9918

Since the first one turned out, I cut three more versions.  Here is the first of the lastest versions I am currently working on.  I want to replace my Vogue 1247 (Rachel Comey) skirts with elastic waist versions so I can wear them with the back brace.  The three versions that I previously had in my wardrobe have found a new home.  

There is a wee bit more ease with the versions I am currently working on, a half inch extra ease.  The hem length was extended and an inch and a quarter blind hem was sewn.  Otherwise, it's similar to the first version.  I really hope this is not a cotton and polyester blend because if there is pilling, it will be sad.

The fabric was labeled as a black cotton twill but after cutting the fabric and observing the fraying, I'm starting to suspect a misleading label hiding another fibre in the mix.  I will have to do a burn test to see if my suspicion is correct.  It doesn't feel or sew like other cotton fabrics I have used in the past.  I really hope and pray this is not a cotton / polyester blend which I have sewn in the past and dealt with pilling after a few wears.  I will be sad if that happens with this one since I really like the fit of this skirt.  

Sewing IS Political

This skirt is a Canadian made and tariff free project.  All of the required supplies were pulled from the stash.  The fabric and elastic came from Fabricland, a Canadian fabric outlet.  The Vogue patterns are  made in the U.S.A. items but they did not contribute to the convicted felon's tariff and blackmail economy.  Vogue 1247, circa 2011, has been in the stash for years.  Vogue 9918 is a vintage pattern from the 1980s that I picked up from an American reseller in 2023, prior to the convicted felon's 2.0 economic threats against Canada and the resulting boycott.  The cotton Gütermann threads used in the sewing machine was made in Greece and purchased from Fabricland.  I am finding that Fabricland's selection of polyester Gütermann threads made in the USA is expanding and their selection of European made cotton threads is dwindling.  And I've even noticed that some of their stock is void of the country of origin on the label.  Hmmm?  The fabric scissors used to cut out this project are from Merchant and Mills, an United Kingdom company and were purchased from The Workroom, a Canadian fabric outlet.  The label was recycled from a previous project.  It originally came from KATM, an Australian company.  

Project details

Seams:  2.8 straight stitch

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  1.2 metres

Elastic:  0.5 metres

Label:  1--recycled "Me Made" KATM label

Patterns:  OOP Vogue 1247 (circa 2011) and vintage Vogue 9918 (circa 1980s).

Additional Tools and Supplies:  Cutting table, pins, pin cushion, tailor's chalk, fabric scissors, measuring tape, measuring gauge, Janome 4120 QDC sewing machine, walking foot, blind hem foot, thread clippers, threads, Janome AirThread 2000D serger, iron, ironing board, seam ripper and safety pin.  

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.  

Stash busting: Black Wool Knit Palazzo Pants / OOP Vogue 1334

Out-of-print (OOP) Vogue 1334 is all about comfort.  It has an elastic waistband that I can slip over the lower part of the back brace.  And I love the wide legs on these palazzo style pants.  It has a retro vibe that remind me of late 1960's Italian fashion and designers like Emilio Pucci.  Minus the vibrant patterned fabric, this pair is all about comfort in a neutral colour.  

This is a Today's Fit pattern by Sandra Betzina.  They actually turned out better than I hoped after reading some insights found on Pattern Review.  I have no dislikes to report.  This is an easy pattern to sew and came together quickly.  I would absolutely recommend this pattern for a beginner willing to give sewing knits a try.  Sandra Betzina lays out different fabric, fit and fabric scenarios to help make this pattern a success.  I highly recommend reading the "Before You Start" section of the pattern instructions. 

The only changes to the pattern was to cut the pants at a size F with the exception of size G at the side seams which I graded back down to F by the notch marking.  I wanted the extra bit of ease since I will be wearing these over the brace.  The hem length were cut at the smallest size.  The elastic width that the pattern calls for is a one inch width but I thought that the crotch length looked too big so I went with a two inch wide elastic.  I could have gone with a one and a half inch elastic if there was any left in the stash.  I was working with what I have on hand.  I would like another pair of these pants (they are that comfortable!) and I do have some gray French terry to make another pair, so I think there might be an elastic run in the near future.  

The photo of my pants do look much wider than the photo on the pattern envelope.  I wonder if this a reflection of the "Make the legs narrower" instructions listed within the "Before You Start" section?  Or maybe the pants on the pattern photo were made in a woven fabric?  Sandra Betzina also outlines how to make the fabric switch.  I wish the patterns would mention what fabric was used in their samples.  Anyway, these are the only things that may explain why there appears to be a difference in the drape and width between this project and the sample photo on the pattern envelope.  

The fabric is a medium weight wool knit and it has a lovely drape.  It was pre-treated with a tumble in the dryer along with damp towels. 

Sewing IS Political

This is a Canadian made and tariff free project.  All of the supplies used to make these pants were found in the stash.  The medium weight merino wool is the same fabric used for this hooded scarf and has been in the stash for a couple of years prior to the convicted felon's tariff war.  It came from Marshall Fabrics, a western Canadian fabric outlet.  The Vogue pattern is a recent Etsy purchase from a Canadian reseller.  The threads are Gütermann Threads and have been in the stash for a long time, likely from Fabricland, another Canadian fabric outlet.  The scissors are from Taiwan and were purchased from Fabricland.  The elastic is also came from Fabricland.  The label is from KATM, an Australian company.  

Project details

Seams:  Knit (lightening bolt) stitch

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  4.5 metres (this fabric was 110 cm wide)

Elastic:  1.4 metres

Pattern:  OOP Vogue 1334, circa 2012

Label:  1--"one off" KATM label

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Cutting table, cardboard cutting mat (for table extention), pins, wrist pin cushion, paper scissors, fabric scissors, tailor's chalk, Janome 4120 QDC sewing machine, walking foot, threads, Janome AirThread 2000D serger, tweezers, thread clippers, iron, ironing board, safety pin and coffee.  

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.