A New Favourite Sweatshirt: OOP Vintage Vogue 2334

As we're living through an Austerity Chic cycle, I'm breaking the rules and going with an exaggerated design from the Issey Miyake 1980's vault.   I just wanna sew something fun.  

And this was a fun project.  As I was piecing it together I was getting excited to see how the final look would turn out.  I haven't felt this kind of excitement over an pattern in years.  I will admit that the cozy softness of the wrong side of the fabric help with the anticipation of having something cozy to wear. 

Issey Miyake was a genius when it came to pattern making.  This is a well drafted pattern, quite simple and unexpected in its design.  Just two big circles, a hole to poke your head through and some openings for sleeves and the hem band.  But my goodness, this is so comfortable.  There will certainly be another hitting the cutting table if I can find a suitable fabric.  The design calls for moderate stretch knits.  

Fabric suggestions listed on the pattern envelope were cotton interlock, jersey and rabbit hair jersey.  I made this in a sweatshirt fleece that has been in the stash for decades.  Even though it was not on the suggested list, it worked out well.  The fabric was pretreated with a tumble through the washing machine and dryer before hitting the cutting tables. 

Sewing IS Political

This is a Canadian 🍁made and the first tariffed sewing project.  The stretchy sweatshirt fleece fabric was purchased from Marshall Fabrics, a Canadian fabric outlet.  The fabric has been in the stash for over a decade, prior to the Trumpian era.  But back in July, I broke away from the austerity chic trend and splurged when I found this vintage and out-of-print pattern online in my size.  I was shocked at the additional amount I had to pay on top of a pricey shipping fee to receive the package from the post office.  It was an elbows down purchase so I take the blame here.  Tariffs hurt and since then and especially since the de minimis exemption has been removed in August from small parcels I won't even entertain the thought of a pattern from a U.S. Etsy or Ebay seller.  It's just too expensive.  Chalk this up to an expensive lesson that I won't soon forget as I'm back on the boycott.  The fabric scissors used to cut the fabric are from Merchant and Mills, an U.K. company and were purchased from The Workroom, a Canadian fabric outlet.  The label is KATM, an Australian company.  The threads are Gütermann threads, a German company and are labelled as made in Mexico.  The threads were purchased at Fabricland, a Canadian fabric outlet.  

Project details

Seams:  Knit (lightening bolt) stitch

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  2.1 metres

Pattern:  Vintage and OOP Vogue 2334, circa 1989.

Label:  "2025" sewing label

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

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.  

Mending Mondays

Last week I shortened these ski pants.  This week they are on the mending pile because I cut and shortened the interior elastic piece and reinstalled it the wrong side.  Ooops!  

I just cut them off and finished the edge on the serger and calling it done.  

Replacing buttons always seem to take the most time.  This vest has been hanging out in the mending pile for weeks.  It's now making its way back into the closet.  How I missed those lovely pleated pockets!

Remember that turtleneck dress I recently refashioned into a pull-on skirt?  Well, the left over piece from the dress is perfect for sewing patches on my socks.  

Well, that's all that I managed to fix from the mending pile today.  

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.  

Merino Wool Sweater: Elita Top / Jacket by Style Arc

A few months ago I made the Style Arc's Elita Designer Top / Jacket in a boiled wool.  And since then I've want to sew a sweater knit version.  Finally, it's done after a few tweaks to the pattern.  

1. The hemlines were shortened; two inches on the bodice and two and a half inches on the sleeve length.  
2. The front curve near the bustline was widened
3. An addition of width at the back to provide more ease. 
4. The edges were finished with the machine roll hem feature on my serger.   
5. The ties were left off, I'll style it with a brooch instead.  

The sleeves are still a little long but I don't mind rolling it up once.  The pattern is lovely it's a keeper.  I like how it fits and I'll be able to wear this over the back brace if need be.  

The fabric makes this top.  It is made in a merino wool knit, a beautiful previously owned fabric that I picked up at Winnipeg Sews.  I feel very lucky to have found it.  And I will admit that it lingered in my own stash for quite some time because I was afraid to cut into it.  I was also afraid about shrinkage when it came to pretreating the fabric.  

But I decided that I have been holding onto the fabric for far too long.  I want them to shrink before cutting, not later.  I threw the burgundy colour merino wool jersey in the washing machine on the delicate cycle and used Woolite.  Afterwards it went in the dryer, again in the delicate cycle while I kept my fingers crossed.  I know risky, right?  

The fabric shrank.  I started out with 2.2 metres and in the end there was 2.06 metres.  It also shrank in the width but it came out looking beautiful.  And thankfully even with the shrinkage, I was able to cut out this project.  

The beige wool sweater knit received the same treatment but I didn't lose any length much to my surprise.  I still have to decide on the project.  

So the question, do you pre-treat your fabrics?  

Sewing IS Political

This project is another Canadian 🍁 made and tariff free make.  The Style Arc pattern originates from Australia.  The fabric was found locally at Winnipeg Sews, a now closed fabric outlet.  The threads were from the stash.  

Project details

Seams:  Knit (lightening bolt) stitch

Seam finish:  None.

Fabric:  2 metres

Pattern:  Style Arc's Elita Top / Jacket

Additional Tools and Supplies:  Cutting table, pins, pin cushion, fabric scissors, tailor's chalk, measuring tape, Janome 4120 QDC sewing machine, walking foot, screwdriver, tweezers, canned air, Janome 2000D AirThread Serger, threads, tailor's ham, pressing sleeve, iron, ironing board, measuring gauge, good tunes and tea.  

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.  

Hooded Scarf: Vintage and OOP Vogue 2793

This is a gift sewing project.  The plan was to save it as a Christmas gift but the cold weather arrived and it didn't seem right to wait.  

I was drawn to vintage and out-of-print (OOP) Vogue 2793 for the hooded scarf.  According to Vintage Patterns Wikia, this pattern is from 1982.  It's self-lined and made in a merino wool.  I am certain this will provide ample protection during a prairie winter.  

This pattern is a keeper.  The instructions were lovely, although I did skip the section that calls for seam binding at the bottom of the hood piece.  It just seemed unnecessary.  And it worked out fine.  No dislikes with this pattern.  

Sewing IS Political

This is a Canadian 🍁 made and tariff free project.  The fabric and the pattern were both purchased in 2023 before the convicted felon and his cohort were re-elected (and elected) into office and started their tariff war on the world and trying to interfering in other countries policies and launching gaslighting tactics.  Sewing continues to be a reprieve from the chaos.  

Thank goodness for a stash, the worktable and some good tunes for the escape.  The merino wool fabric was in the stash for a couple of years, purchased from Marshall Fabrics, a Canadian fabric outlet.  The pattern, OOP Vogue 2793, is a vintage find and came from a Canadian Etsy seller.  It was purchased around the same time as the fabric.  The fabric scissors are Merchant and Mills, a United Kingdom company and were purchased from The Workroom, a Canadian fabric outlet.  The threads have been in the stash for years.  The cotton thread used on the sewing machine is Gütermann threads from Greece.  The silk thread used for hand stitching is Gütermann threads and are Swiss made.  The threads used on the serger state they are from Indonesia.  

Project details

Seams:  Knit (lightening bolt) stitch

Seam finish:  Serged and / or trimmed

Fabric:  1.3 metres (39 inches wide)

Pattern:  vintage and OOP Vogue 2793, circa 1982.

Additional Tools and Supplies:  Cutting table, pins, pin cushion, measuring tape, measuring gauge, Janome 4120 QDC sewing machine, walking foot, Janome AirThread 2000D serger, fabric scissors, paper scissors, threads, hand sewing needle, screwdriver, mini vacuum, tweezers, canned air, new needle for the sewing machine, iron and ironing board.  

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.  

November in Review

Sewing, Alterations and Mending

Sewing activity was slow at the sewing machine but it was busy at the cutting table.  I managed to cut out more projects than I actually sewed this month.  I did manage to sew a copy-cat body sock with long sleeves to wear as a pajama top when wearing the scoliosis back brace.  It's been on my want / need to sew list for awhile so it felt good to get it done.  And I refashioned a turtleneck dress into a wool skirt.  

Mending has also been taking a back seat to project cutting and pretreating fabric.  This vest needs a button reattached and there is a hole in a pair of socks that have been neglected this month.  

Stash busting

This month I stash-busted two metres of fabric, 1 metre of elastic, two spools of thread and recycled a dress into a skirt.  There was one new pattern addition into the stash, OOP and vintage McCall's 2465.   

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.  

Part Two: Sewing Sleepwear to Wear With a Scoliosis Brace / Vogue 1852

Finally, I can present my new pajama top made with Vogue 1852.  

For over a month now, I've been planning on sewing new sleepwear to accommodate my latest fashion accessory.   Instead of labelling my slowness as procraftination, I'll call it my devotion to research.  I fell off the RTW fast and picked up some custom made undergarments from Brace Buddies, a Canadian company.  They are amazing, period.  I really like that they are long in order to cover the outside of the brace and protect the clothes from the Velcro straps.  Super love that all of the tanks are custom made in cotton knit fabric.  I took one of the tanks as my inspiration for my new pajama top.   

I like the underarm flap, it protects a region of my body that is prone to abrasion wounds.  What I miss in a sleepwear garment is sleeves.  Especially in the winter.  I need sleeves.  BRRRR!, because it can get cold during the winter months.  

This make is a combination of the Brace Buddy design and Vogue 1852.  I extended the length according to the Brace Buddy design.  

The extra length is so that the hemline could be lift up to cover the brace, protecting the bedding and other clothing from ruin by the velcro straps.  

Just one small adjustment is needed, to narrow the width at the hemline.  It is not as fitted as the Brace Buddy version where it is supposed to be pulled up.  It's a simple fix.  I tapered the width from about 2 1/2" below the underarm to about an inch from the hem.  It was narrowed about four inches in width from the bottom hemline and now it is nice and snug when pulled up over the brace.  

The fabric is a medium weight cotton knit that has been in the stash for many, many moons.  I found this fabric at Mitchell Fabrics which closed down in 2017.  I used some of the yardage previously for underwear and there is still some yardage left.  Maybe enough for some leggings or pajama shorts?  We'll see.  

Sewing IS Still Political

This is another Canadian 🍁 made and tariff free sewing project.  The fabric was from a pre-Trumpian era and purchased from Mitchell Fabrics, a now closed Canadian fabric outlet.  Vogue 1852, circa 2021, was designed during the Trumpian era, however it did not have any added tariffs that would support the convicted felon's economy.  So, I will not count this as an elbows up lapse.  The pattern was picked up during a clearance sale as Fabricland (a Canadian company) is discontinuing the sale of paper patterns.  There were no tariffs added to the discounted price of the pattern.  Although it is sad that we will no longer be able to pick up Big Four patterns at a brick and mortar store if the day ever comes that the convicted felon ends his tariff war.  Oh well, there are enough patterns in the stash to keep me busy until the end of my sewing days.  The fabric scissors used are from Merchant and Mills, an United Kingdom company and were purchased from The Workroom, a Canadian fabric outlet.  The threads were pulled from the stash and are many moons old.  

Projects details

Seams:  Knit (lightening bolt) stitch

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  2 metres

Pattern:  Vogue 1852, circa 2021

Additional Tools and Supplies:  Cutting table, fabric scissors, paper scissors, pins. tailor's chalk, pin cushion, Janome 4120 QDC sewing machine, walking foot, threads, Janome AirThread 2000D serger, thread clippers, iron and ironing board.  

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.  

Refashion a Dress into a Wool Skirt

Oh, I am so thrilled with this new skirt.  It was once a turtleneck dress made with OOP Vogue 8939 nearly five years ago.  In that time, it shrank in the length and the armscye seam became distorted.  But what also happened was the merino wool became almost felted into a lovely texture.  And it still fit in the width.  

I just cut and tried to see if it might work.  

And thankfully it did.  I serged the upper edge and sewed a casing for the one inch wide elastic.  And the best part is that it is now part of a matching set.  Actually two.  I can wear the skirt with this cardigan sweater or this pullover Toaster sweater.  All three pieces are made in the same wool fabric.  

Project details

Seam finish:  Serged

Fabric:  1 turtleneck dress

Elastic:  1 metre

Additional tools and supplies:  Cutting table, fabric scissors, Janome 4120 QDC sewing machine, Janome AirThread 2000D serger, threads, iron, ironing board, safety pin.  

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.