I finished sewing my Clyde Jumpsuit. I love it! I’ll be wearing this regularly the rest of the summer. Pattern by Elizabeth Suzann Studio. Fabric is mid weight indigo linen from my stash.
I brought up the shoulder seams by an inch. I’m not crazy about the low back, so I may try to sew the next one with the back neckline the same as the front. I’m not sure why my bias facings aren’t laying flat. Maybe I need to pull them tighter when sewing, although I did try to do that. These are all reference notes for the next time I sew this pattern.
I saw on Instagram that someone made this pattern with corduroy. I’m wondering if I could pull that off for a winter version. I have some teal corduroy in my stash. I was saving it for another pair of overalls, but I’m wondering if this pattern would suit better. I’ve never sewn with corduroy before, so that should be interesting. It might be better to sew facings instead of bindings with the corduroy since it’s so thick.
I wrapped up my second pair of Free Range Slacks today in this medium weight olive linen from Fabric Mart. They were having a linen sale, so I stocked up. This color is a bit on the gold side, but I love it. And yes I will be wearing it just like this, with a fitted tee tucked in.
My next sew will be the Clyde Jumpsuit in indigo linen from stash. After that, I’ve got a Florence Top and a Gather Dress in more linen. By the time I’ve finished those, it should be the end of the summer and I’ll be thinking about fallish makes in corduroy and wool, but probably knitting mostly.
It’s funny I don’t wear linen in the fall, winter, or spring. I could certainly wear linen blouses or dresses under wool sweaters, but I don’t. It’s a hang up, like wearing white dress shoes only between Memorial Day and Labor Day. (Not that I have any white dress shoes.) Or not mixing metals in jewelry. I recently bought a pair of small hoop earrings with gold and silver in them as an intentional way to buck the fashion police. “Look at me! I’m wearing gold and silver together! At the same time!”
How about you? Do you wear linen during any other season except summer? Or do you have any other arbitrary fashion rules you question but follow anyway?
I finished my first pair of Free Range Slacks. They won’t be my last. Here I am trying to figure out how to wear them with my birdie tank. I realized the top was too long for this silhouette. I cut two inches off and re-hemmed it.
Here’s how I ended up wearing them. It’s fabulous to be wearing pants without any pain. I’m planning to sew another pair in indigo linen, and a couple of cropped tops to wear with them.
Pattern is Free Range Slacks by Sew House Seven. This would be a great first slacks pattern for a beginning sewist. Fabric is a mid weight black linen from stash. There’s not enough left to make a matching top, but I get to wear my birdie tank, which makes me happy.
I’ve been traveling and entertaining the last couple of weeks, as well as focusing on the mystery box stuff, so I don’t have much progress to show. I’m still knitting on the Blueberry Popover Day socks, my Pumqueen Cardi, and Arrowhead. But as promised, here are pics of my haul from the Mid-Ohio Fiber Fair, in order of acquisition.
Did I buy more superwash? Yes. I need to draw the line on superwash. It’s great for socks and summer shawls, but not warm enough for winter knits.
I have been editing and updating my Year of Projects list. I make minor changes to my knitting plans throughout the year. However, I made some significant changes to my sewing list. Me Made May taught me I need to make more tops and pants. I have enough summer dresses. Below is the new list. I’d love to finish the first three this month.
Ottobre blouse in Liberty blue paisley lawn and black linen
Ottobre Coat in black wool floral embossed coating
Bob gave me this natural dyeing kit from Botanical Colors for my birthday. It arrived yesterday! I’ve never dyed with prepared natural dyes before, only from foraged botanicals or plants from my garden. I’m looking forward to trying this. Funds raised from the sales of this kit supports sending vital supplies to displaced children and families in Ukraine as well as supporting Botanical Colors’ BIPOC scholarships.
I have been dyeing hard lately. I’m going for another experiment on cotton yarn this week. And then I’m going to dye some wool yarn in fall colors for the shop.
I sewed another Felix Dress, this time in eggplant linen. It’s fully lined in the same fabric. I love a floaty linen dress in the summer. It looks great with my Ocean Moon shawl as well as my jean jacket. Pattern is Felix Dress by Grainline Studio.
I also sewed another Melba Dress, this time in charcoal jersey. I don’t think you need a photo of another plain Melba Dress. I do love wearing them, though.
I harvested all the greens from the greenhouse. It’s getting hot, and they are starting to bolt.
I tried out kale chips in the air fryer. I tossed one leaf in olive oil, pink Himalayan salt, and nutritional yeast. I left it in at 200 degrees F for 15 minutes. They came out great, except for the stems. Tear all the leafy parts off the stem first.
I’m a few rows shy of the shoulder shaping and bind off on my Arrowhead cardigan! I had hoped to see the back of this project by now. (See what I did there?) I can’t imagine wanting to work on a Lopi coat over the summer. But, I would love to have this done by fall. I’m looking forward to cutting the steeks!
See how excited I am about steeking?!
I’m also nearing the toe on Bob’s Blueberry Popover Day sock, and have reached the jack o’lanterns on my BFL Pumqueen cardi.
Sewing
As promised, I sewed another spoopy project bag. It’s available in my shop. I don’t have plans to sell many handmade goods unless they are made from materials I already have, or that are leftover from personal projects. I’m trying to keep it small and sustainable.
I would like to get more Pietra pants sewn in the black and indigo linens I have, and a Felix dress from some purple linen in my stash. I’ve updated my list to include those. I would love to sew some pleated twill pants, but I’m undecided on a pattern. I’m looking at Style Arc’s Audrey Pant. I love their clear and concise pattern instructions and intuitive construction. I have gray and navy twills for these.
I have yet to finish my Me Made May challenges. I’ll squeeze at least one more in today or tomorrow.
Spinning
Nope. I look at my spinning wheel, a lot. But I prefer knitting.
Gardening
I mowed the front yard today. That’s why my face is red in these photos. Also, Bob was clearing a section of brush, and found wild roses. I love wild roses! I know a place is home if there are wild blackberries and wild roses. As far as cultivation goes, everything is planted except the okra and sorrel. I need to get them in the ground, because something keeps disturbing the starts that are in pots. I think they are looking for slugs to eat, which I applaud. I wish they would not disturb the baby plants, though.
I finished sewing my large project bag. I love it! It’s perfect for my Halloween sweater. It has a zippered outside pocket, inner slip pocket, and drawstring closure.
Pattern is Juniper Basket by Sotak Handmade. She graciously allows makers to sell items made from her patterns on a small scale, handmade basis.
I made a couple of small mistakes, which is why I sewed one for myself first. I’ll make the next one for the shop, with a few minor adjustments. I’m thinking black zipper and drawstring instead of natural. I would also like to reinforce the base.
This is the bag design I am making for the Volunteer Sunflowers Shine Box from the indigo eco print fabric I made last summer. It feels good to get one of these bags sewn so I can plan for the fulfillment of those orders. Expect more project bags to pop up in the shop going forward!
My weekends have been fairly busy, and I haven’t been able to post a Year of Projects update in a bit. So here’s a combo post!
Knitting
I am working on sport weight socks for Bob, a Halloween cardigan, and my Arrowhead cardigan. The yarn shown in the featured image is from my stash and will be used in a Summer Solstice Ambah knitalong. I am also working on my knitting pattern design for the Volunteer Sunflowers yarn mystery box.
The Halloween cardigan is from the Fall Favorites Collection, Pumqueen version. The yarn is Cascade BFL, which I am really enjoying working with. I’m modifying the pattern to be a cardigan with a steek.
Sewing
I am focusing on project bags right now. I hope to have a finish to show by Friday. But I did sew matching KISS pajama shorts for Bob and me.
Dyeing
I continue to experiment. I am mostly focusing on the Volunteer Sunflowers yarn mystery box yarn. Only one week left to order. Please share with people you think would be interested!
Spinning
I haven’t been doing this. I hope to start back up next month.
In other news:
We have two baby groundhogs in the garden right now. They are so cute.
I finished sewing my Felix dress. I love it! This was a challenging sew for me, but I did a good job. The pattern is rated as intermediate, and is lined. I learned a lot!
Pattern is Felix Dress by Grainline Studio.Fabric from Mood. Lining is teal Bemberg viscose. I was impressed with the lining fabric as well, and won’t be suspicious of viscose in the future. I love this design, and will probably sew a sleeveless version.
I sewed another Melba dress, this time in black cotton interlock from deep stash. I skipped the facings and bound the neckline, and prefer it. I hemmed the sleeves. This fabric is lightweight, and I expect I will wear this all summer with nude clog sandals. This was on my spring sewing list, so I’m glad to get this done.
I tend to do more sewing in spring and summer, and more knitting in fall and winter. What about you?
Did you know May 3rd is Paranormal Day? I didn’t either, but I follow a lot of paranormal accounts, so that’s how I found out. How does one celebrate Paranormal Day? If you’re like me, you combine your special interests and sew a paranormal themed dress!
Snakes & Cranes 
