"It is a bike."

Today when I picked her up at daycare little bug pointed at a tricycle and informed me "It is a bike." she then pointed to a ball and said, "It is a ball." The instances when we think we hear her say something are also multiplying. Yesterday she was throwing a fit in her car seat and I said to her that I didn't know what she wanted. I had just given her a peppermint a few minutes ago. She thought about this then said something that sounded very, very much like "I dropped it." Twice in a row. Also yesterday she suddenly burst into tears in the living room and David asked: "are you ok?" and she seemed to say, "I'm fine" which David thought might be like her yes nod, which usually means no.

This weekend when I was away in Tallahassee David texted me that she had just pointed at a spider and said, "spudder."

Ready to face the day with her babydoll, a purple stuffed animal that Julian made, and her sparkly blue canvas sneakers (her choice!)

Fall Wardrobe... A Work In Progress

Just last week it was looking so grim that I actually ordered some clothes. A girl just has to have a few new things for a new school year! For example, I gave been ridiculously envious of all of the cute stripey dresses out there this year... And after noticing bulgy-ness showing with some of my jersey tops, I was really wanting a sleek ponte knit top that might be a little more forgiving.

I received my order the Friday before labor day. What a disaster! On three out of four, the fabric was just so plastic-y that it made my skin prickle just thinking about it. Worse than those horrible poly knits of the 70s. The forth (a ponte knit top) had a nice hand, but the fit was terrible... Perfect on the hips, but the chest looked like it was made for a DD, and I'm nowhere near that well endowed.

That was the catalyst... I cranked out 2 tops and a dress this weekend! Added to the few items I managed to make so far, and things are looking rather respectable:

Black denim stretch blazer (finished this summer!)
Marcy tilton raglan 3/4 sleeve top
Princess seamed polka dot knit top
Princess seamed black ponte top with silk chiffon trim
Striped sheath dress

Summer Sewing Projects

Summer went by in record time! Add to that a totally unrealistic list of projects, sewing and otherwise, and I feel like I hardly got anything done. These are the sewing projects I got done (this will start out as a list, and I'll add details as I find a free minute here and there)

Bridesmaid dress with Chris Palau technique frayed chiffon.
Lilly's princess dress (also for the wedding)
Polka dot linen dress (so this was finished in the spring, but I made it to wear in the summer!)
Drapey linen top
Sorbetto top in linen
Black button down cotton top
Stretch linen pants with zip fly (started over a year ago!)
Turquoise linen button down dress with embellished neckline.
Silk jersey skirt with comfy yoga waistband (remake of a failed dress)
Hot pink Milly silk jersey drape neck dress
Chevron stripe skirt with yoga waistband
Replaced the tattered acetate lining of my fall wool coat with blue waves silk charmeuse

Listed all together, it doesn't look too bad!

Lillian Summer 2013

Created with flickr slideshow.

Black Denim Blazer

I finally finished my first ever blazer this summer. It spent over a year in my unfinished projects bin, and I would work on it here and there. But I was determined to finish it this summer.

It is super-comfy, with sleeves that actually fit. One of my biggest problems with RTW jackets is that they all seem to be made for women with skinny arms. I have muscular arms... a legacy from my climbing years, kept up lately by carrying around Bug, who has to be almost 30 lbs now! It is also comfortable to button, while most of the other jackets I own look terrible buttoned for one reason or another.

The jacket fabric is black stretch denim. My feeling was that it was a cheap fabric so I could have lots of extra in case of mistakes (and I did have to remake one of the collar pieces). At the same time, it is a durable and comfy fabric suitable for many occasions-- the black is dressy enough for most any event I'm likely to have to attend, but also goes great with jeans.

I also despise those polyester-acetate linings that are everywhere in RTW, so this one has a luxurious hot pink stretch silk charmeuse lining, with an interior pocket! I never understood why men get those, and women's jackets almost never have them. I also did a bound buttonhole and double-welt pockets.

It was definitely a learning process. I had to re-cut some of the collar pieces, and I unpicked and resewed the lapels several times. I tried my best to emulate fine tailoring- the lapels are pad-stitched hair canvas with cotton twill hand sewn on to define the roll-line. The sleeve headers are wool felt, and the shoulder pads are handmade from wool felt.

For next time, I'm thinking about narrowing the shoulders a bit... it feels just a bit wide on me. But I think I'll wear it around awhile to see.

If you are interested, the pattern is Simplicity 2446.

Missoni Wool Cardi-Coat

This was actually one of my first major sewing projects when I got back into sewing, and it is still one of my favorite garments to wear. The fabric is a gorgeous wool Missoni chevron-knit sweater fabric from Emma One Sock. If it isn't the real thing, the fabric is gorgeous enough that I am happily fooled. It is soft but still has that warm-woolie feel, and there are pretty feathery yarns and some that have some glossiness, without being glittery. I haven't seen a fabric like this since, I'm glad I made the splurge then.

The pattern is improvised from a cardigan sweater, and modeled after a Missoni design. I used the selvages for the sleeve and bodice hems, and crocheted an edge with a wool yarn. The shoulders and armholes are stabilized with weft interfacing cut on the bias.

The Inspiration

Considering everything I know now, it is sort of remarkable I pulled this off. Cardigans are definitely one of my favorite things to sew, they are so forgiving and satisfying.

Drapey linen tunic-top

Here is my favorite top of the summer. A little rumpled in this picture, and not perfect, but definitely my go-to top for a hot day. It is an adaptation of Simplicty 2404, and by this time looks nothing like the original, having extended the bodice of the dress into a full princess-seamed tunic-top. I made it in a gorgeous digital print linen from Marcy Tilton, the same one she uses in her new spring dress pattern. I bought the pattern, but really I think I envied the fabric! Finally one yard showed up in the roll ends, discounted enough that I could justify purchasing it. I've remade this pattern several times in knits this fall, subtracting width to create negative ease and taking in the neckline a bit to reduce the bit of gaping that is going on here.

It may not be the most polished top, but I sort of love the way linen wrinkles, it is cool in the hottest weather, and the princess seams combined with the drapey-ness make me feel like I have a figure even when I'm not in the mood to show it off!

DIY Missoni Skirt

I got bit by the Missoni bug, so when some genuine Missoni fabrics showed up at my favorite online fabric store (Emmaonesock... just fabulous stuff!) I purchased just one precious yard of this fabulous fabric to make my very own Missoni skirt.

The fabric itself is amazing. It is a viscose knit, and has an incredibly soft hand. The pattern is very intricate, and the colors are vibrant and highly unusual... a great addition to my mostly BW wardrobe. I've seen many Missoni look-alike fabrics for much cheaper, but I have yet to see an imitation that has the lusciousness of the real thing.

  
I searched for the perfect pattern, but I couldn't find anything simple enough. With a stretchy knit and the strong zigzag pattern, I really just wanted a very basic pattern-- lightly shaped for my curvy body type, with minimal seams. I also thought I would like a seam in the back so that I could put a zipper in, and maybe a vent. So I ended up just drawing up my own pattern, with the help of some online tutorials and a tape measure.


I added a shaped waistband that is interfaced with a tricot knit for some body and stretch. I thought that if the knit ended up being excessively stretchy, a shaped waistband would help it stay on my hips!

  

The back has a zipper and hook and eyes on the waistband. I should have used an invisible zipper... instead, I used a regular zipper I had in my stash and tried my best to hide it. This is the one thing I sort of regret, so I may fix this someday.



For some extra luxury, the skirt is lined in a luscious nude silk jersey, and the edge is finished with a crochet edge done with a thin 100% wool yarn.

Real Missoni Skirt: $890 At Net-a-Porter.My DIY Missoni $105+: $50 one yard of Missoni flame stitch fabric, $40 for 1 yard of amazing quality silk jersey, $15 for the wool, and many (fun) hours of sewing. Working with gorgeous fabrics is such a joy, and matching the zigzags is totally fun!

It is also just amazing having a skirt that fits me perfectly. It is the perfect curve, form fitting but not binding. Also a really nice length, perfect for wearing with boots and knee socks!

They change soooo fast...

Today we got back from a 3 day trip. Before the trip Bug was sitting and falling over regularly-- she would topple over, and cry when she it the ground. Now, she is sitting up for longer, and when she falls, it is a controlled gentle landing. It is incredible how quickly she is learning motor control! (Bug is 4.5 months).

The Best Nursing Tank Ever: DIY Lululemon Nursing Tank

I am terribly picky about bras and tanks. I'm sort of like a tank princess who can find the pea in any bra or tank. They all feel fine in the dressing room, but then I try to wear them and find myself fidgeting through the day, just waiting to go home and tear it off of my body. I was terribly optimistic when I was pregnant... I figured I'd just waltz into the baby store and just find a great nursing tank. My hopes were quickly dashed- just a glance through the racks showed that none of the available nursing tanks had any consideration for someone with hopelessly sloped shoulders. Without something like a cross, T or racer back, even the best laid straps slip right off of my shoulders like a newbie on a double black diamond ski run. There are a whole host of other issues I have with tanks that I didn't even get to test out-- for example, I bet half of them would ride up and end up around my midriff after an hour or two of wear, and I'd spend the whole day tugging them down. Not to mention sucky materials, itchy binding built-in shelf bras, etc-- you get the picture.

But wait: I already have found the world's best basic tank top: Lululemon's Power Y tank. It is expensive, and worth every penny. It solves all of the problems listed above, and more. I can wear them all day long, every day, and they stay put and stay comfortable. And no, I'm not paid by Lululemon to say all of this.

It looks much better on the Lululemon model, trust me. But my size 10 tanks stretched with me for nearly my entire pregnancy-- until the last month, when I just got too gigantic (I gained 40 pounds... and was 2 weeks late... but that's another blog post). To account for my larger bust once my milk came in, I bought 3 tanks in size 12 and added nursing clips. It was so easy to do that I did it two weeks after a very hard birth, while nursing my tiny baby in her K'tan wrap.

There are a bunch of tutorials out there on how to convert a normal bra to a nursing bra-- this is basically what I did. I found the tutorial by Christina and Janda at Mamas Worldwide very useful. I used clear plastic clips from The Nappy Shoppe, Style A. I used black 1/4 inch elastic rather than ribbon or cloth as my strap-keeper.



They are fantastic. Soooo comfortable, they stretch to accommodate very full breasts, and the "luon" fabric smooths over some of my postpartum bulges. Plenty of length. Great selection of colors and patterns. And an added plus-- the removable cups are awesome at preventing the inevitable leaks from showing through (and I don't wear nursing pads, even though I probably should).

My only pet peeve is that putting the strap back on isn't one-handed... the straps are a bit thick for the clip, so it is a snug fit. I don't find this to be much of a problem. Overall, I love my nursing tanks!