Toronto Sewing Blog Meet-Up!

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that all the really cool sewing blog meet-ups happen too far away to attend. That’s why this winter Adrienne from All Style and All Substance and I have decided to change that: We’re hosting our own Toronto Sewing Blog Meet-up! 

We’ve set the date for Feb. 23rd, starting at 1pm. We’ll meet somewhere on Queen West (TBA, once we figure it out, of course!) and do some fabric shopping… then stop for a chat and a drink! 

If you live anywhere near the GTA, please do join us! (I live an over an hour from the city myself, but for fabric and sewing friends, I will travel!) Invite along anyone you know who sews - blog or no blog, everyone is welcome. We’d love it if you grab the graphic , blog about it, and spread the word! 

 For all of you who live too far away to join us: Have you ever been to or planned a meet-up? Any top tips for us? We’ve talked about doing a fabric or pattern swap, but can’t decide if that is too complex for our first   round. What do you think? 

I swear, soon I'll use another pattern: Tiramisu #4, #5, and a #sewingdare!

At this point, I don’t have much more to say about this pattern - You’ve heard it all! 

Instead, I’d like to declare my first #SewingDare finished!  My very first dare was to Pretty Greivances, who just posted the funniest post about finished her three versions of a TNT pattern. In return, she dares me to mix prints in a single garment. Et voila! Polka dots and paint splatter in a single united dress! 

I do feel like this is cheating a bit… I mean, only two prints? I really wanted to combine three. Besides which, the honest truth is that the combo of prints here drives me batty - I just don’t like it! I think the polka dots have just a slightly creamy undertone that clashes with the harsh white of the “paint”. It’s not terrible, but it doesn’t make my heart sing!  

As for the rest of the dress… well, I chose this fabric as an experiment to try polyester knits, and it was very informative! I learned that the ITY knit was quite easy to sew, and doesn’t need hemming etc… They are also less clingy than I feared! On the other hand, I also learned that I don’t like wearing pure poly. It feels cold and clamy in winter, and I imagine it would be worse in summer. The dress doesn’t feel *bad* when I wear it… but it has none of the cosiness of a cotton or rayon knit. The proof is in the pudding: I haven’t worn this dress once since I finished it!

Since I wasn’t loving the contrast waist, I started thinking of ways to hide it! I came up with this 2m long tie, which I tried as a pussy bow and as a belt.  I know it’s hard to see with this busy fabric, so I highlighted the tie in green. In another fabric, I think this idea could work! 

Honest truth: I haven’t hemmed the sleeves or skirt, and I’m not even sure I will. I just don’t love it. However, I have a secret love for themed teacher-clothes, so I’ll just *have* to plan some splatter painting or marble painting sometime soon so that I can wear this dress at least once!

Tira #5, though? I love it! 

It’s the same poly knit that I don’t like in #4… but somehow the short sleeves and looser fit make this one feel much more breathable!

As a challenge, I thought I’d time how long it took me to make this one. 

• Cutting: 15min


• Stabilizing and sewing bodice: 25 min


• Sewing and Attaching skirt: 15 min


• Sewing side seams: 10 min


• Hemming: 20min (which I usually skip, but Steph #sewingdared us!)

From start to finish, it took 1h28m! I”m kinda in shock - I really thought it took me 3-4 hours. The big difference this time was that I’d used similar fabric before, and I knew exactly how it would fit without ever trying it on. I serged the whole thing, and there was no stripe to match. With a new kind of fabric or a new pattern I’d never be this quick. That’s why I love repeating patterns over and over - for me, it’s all the fun of sewing with none of the uncertainty! 

(Sneak peek in my classroom! After hours though - I swear no children were harmed or ignored in the taking of this pic!) 

One last note: How annoying is it trying to take outfit pictures in winter? All the pics my husband took in the early morning came out dark and blurry… then I’m at school until the sun is setting! What’s a girl to do? 

Seriously - How do you handle this problem, those of you who live in the dark cold northern hemisphere?

Last of the Christmas gifts!

As you’ve probably figured out by now, my sister Anne is a prolific knitter. (Find her here on Ravelry!) She even had a pattern published in that beautiful Jane Austen Knits a couple years ago! It’s nice to have someone else in the family who is craft-obsessed! (This afgan and this silk shawl is only some of the lovely things she’s knit for me over the years! 

For Christmas, I ordered a fat quarter of the cutest knitting-themed fabric from Spoonflower…

… and made her some zippered pouches! 

I thought about making her some pillows, but, oh wait, I did that last year!  I figured instead I’d make something to make the other knitters jealous - Something she could bring to Knit Night! 

For each pouch, I used a zigzag stitch to applique the fussy cut onto some linen. One pouch is white, one natural, and one is leftover grey linen from the Cambie I made Anne this summer. 

Each pouch has a different picture on the back!

As always, I used Elizabeth Hartman’s Perfect Zip Bag pattern as the basis. Seriously, sewists, if you don’t know how to make lined zip pouch, spend $10 on that pattern! It really is great! 20 pages of colour pictures and clear instructions, and lots of pattern variations. A basic variation only takes about 30 min to sew, so it’s the perfect gift! 

Thanks for taking the lovely pics, Anne… As I type this, I’m realizing how much our two hobbies feed through each other for reinforcement! Thanks for being my crafty buddy, always willing to talk shop or wear whatever I make! 

Do you have a special crafty someone in your life? Who do you make gifts for that really appreciates them? 

A Tiramisu and a damned cute dog!

My sister, pictured above, is a girl after my own heart. Not only did she snap up one of the Tiramisu dresses I made over the holidays, but when I suggested taking some pictures, she put the dress on right away and marched her husband outside to take pictures! We Whitcombe girls married good men!  :) 

(I love the paprazzi quality of this photo! Caught in action!) 

I had this dress all cut out in solid mid-weight navy, but at the last minute I decided to do the bodice in stripes. I had less than a meter, so it was a perfect solution! Except that the stripes are cheap and waaaay more light-weight than the navy, so the bodice quickly stretched out to be to big for lil’ old me! 

I think it looks killer on Anne, though! She wore it with a tee underneath, which is a great solution for a gaping neck. It also makes it more winter appropriate!

Thanks so much to Anne for taking wonderful pictures - She’s really motivating me to, you know, try to get my pictures in focus a little more often!  :P Taking pics in the basement really isn’t ideal, I guess. 

(OMG, this DOG!) 

Stealing the show though is Anne’s new dog! She and her husband are SOOOOO happy to have a doggie, and they’ve chosen well! Nike is a rescue dog, and very shy, but just adorable! 

What’s that? One more doggie picture? Here you are. BAM! 

CUTE! 

As for the dress, I love that the knit fabric makes it easy to fit as a gift. I’m planning to make one for my Mom too come spring! Anne’s only negative comment on the dress was, “It would be just perfect if it had pockets!” Oh that shame of a lazy seamstress - the tag line of Cake Patterns is “Always with pockets!”, but I’ve been lazy to include them so far. Really must give it a go on the next round! 

As for me, I’m spending this weekend and next writing report cards… but I want to say a huge THANk YOU to all of those who commented about the Seamless Pledge! It’s impressive that so many people have taken on some sort of similar goal in their own way. Now if only I could wrap my head around the sustainability of buying fabric - but that’s for another post! 

Happy sewing! 

It's time for the Seamless Pledge!

I, Gillian Whitcombe, am taking the Seamless Pledge for 6 months: from today until my birthday on June 18th!  

For those 6 months I won’t buy any new clothes or shoes, with the exception of undergarments. I will sew or buy second-hand everything else!  

Why? My reasons are the same as many of the people who have taken the pledge…

• I have heaps of clothes. After 5 years in Japan where I didn’t fit anything, I rather binged on sewing/buying a new wardrobe last year. I’m well stocked now, and it is time to enjoy what I have!


• Stepping outside social pressures. One of the beauties of sewing is being able to remove yourself from the pressure of trends, advertising and shopping. I’m ready to take it one step farther and really focus on making and wearing clothes I love without any temptation to buy what is trendy and new.  I’d rather not waste my time *wanting* more that I don’t need. 


• Sustainability. The world does not need cheap clothing that will fall apart in under a year. There is no need to create so much waste.

I’m excited for the challenge of not buying new - so excited, in fact, that I’ve volunteered to help Elena (the originator of the Seamless Pledge) and Clare (another pledger) to revamp the Seamless Pledge for the new year. We’re planning all sorts of fun stuff for the next few months! 

Have you ever taken the Seamless Pledge? Did you naturally stop buying new when you starting making? Or conversely, if you’ve thought about the pledge but not made the leap, why not? I’d love to hear about your thoughts and experiences! 

p.s. When I first drew this graphic, I made one little spelling mistake that would make the whole pledge a lot easier… especially since my husband is named Jamie, not Sean! ;) 

Tiramisu: The pattern that keeps on giving!

I like to doodle on the iPad while watching my husband play video games… and here is what I came up with today!  I’ve tried 4 of these pattern modifications: Long sleeves, a-line skirt, contrast fabrics, and tie belt, but I’d love to try the others too! Tee-shirts and maxi dresses, oh my! Bring it on. I’ve hacked all of my favourite patterns (Renfrew, Peony, Truffle) at least 5 times or more, so I’m not done with the Tiramisu yet!

Why other variations can you think of? Do you have a pattern that you love to adapt?

My first Tiramisu!

Welcome to my most recent pattern obsession! I made this version a month ago, and it’s currently my FAVOURITE thing to wear. It’s so cosy and stretchy that I can barely feel it on… and with a good slip, leggings and a cardi, it’s perfect for winter. Plus, I’ve got about 5 cardigans that “match” it (pink, red, purple, plack and grey) so it feels different every time!

This version is made from a lovely rayon knit that I picked up meaning to make a cardigan for my mom - but I’m so glad it became this dress instead! I didn’t have enough fabric to do the flared skirt, so instead I drafted a simple a-line skirt instead. Here’s how: 

The gathering really doesn’t show up in pictures, but it’s a nice detail in person. It creates just enough ease over the tummy and rear, and looks pretty, too.

You can *almost* see it here: 

I sold pompom infinity scarves like this to a local shop last year, and they are one of my favourite things to wear. I’ve got 4 or 5! I  like that they stay put all day with no fidgeting, which is important while teaching.  

A few construction notes: 

• I pulled the neck binding really tight - probably 20+cm shorter than the pattern calls for. That helped keep things secure… until I top stitched it! I find that the pressure of the sewing machine foot stretches our knits when I top stitch, so on my other versions I’ve kept topstitching to a minimum. 


• Since this version, I’ve cut my bodice several sizes smaller. It always seems to work out though, whatever size I use… It’s a very forgiving pattern!


• No pockets! Actually, no pockets in any of my versions. What can I say? I just don’t care much about pockets! Particularly in this a-line version, I thought they would show through. 


• No hem! I didn’t finish the sleeves or hem at all! This knit doesn’t roll or stretch out, so I didn’t want to risk a ripply seam when I didn’t need to.

All in all, I LOVE this dress… which is why I’ve bought more fabric from the same line to make another! 

Sure, it’ll be really similar… but you can never have too much of a good thing, right? 

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Now for something a little more… personal!  What do you wear under your knit dresses? I tend to wear them in winter with leggings, which then calls for a full or half slip… but I often don’t wear knit dresses in summer because of the dreaded VPL!  (I guess I could wear a slip in summer… not sure why that has never occurred to me… but it might take away from the breathability of the fabric.) Help!