What is Vogue, Alex?

Yes, that’s correct. If you responded, “What is Vogue?” to the Sombrero or Vogue photo clue, then you are absolutely correct!

• Project Details: An all cotton sun hat to save my hair from any more fading.
• Pattern: This hat was made from Vogue pattern 7600 (V7600).
• Fabric: As called for, I used 100% cotton: Alexander Henry’s “All Cotton” in blue 1696A.
• Lining: I used some light moss green batiste from my mom’s scraps.
• Notions: ribbon. The pattern envelope didn’t call for ribbon, so this notion was a surprise in the instructions. I used some ⅞” striped, brown ribbon I had on hand.



• Pattern Description: There are four hats in this pattern by Patricia Underwood. I chose the hat designed with a large brim and a flat top crown. There’s a lotta lotta topstitching that’s both decorative and functional. This pattern uses quite a bit of fabric and interfacing because you have to cut out big, round pieces.
• FO looks like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope? Yes, I think my finished hat does look like the pattern envelope hat although I can’t get my brim to turn up so evenly. It’s all in the topstitching, methinks.



• Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes, the instructions were easy enough to follow, but the notions list was incomplete.
• My particular likes / dislikes about the pattern: I forgot to read the pre-instructions, so I stitched a seam or two before I realized the seam allowance is ½” instead of ⅝”. It was easy enough to fix since I caught my mistake early. I don’t like incomplete notions lists, but I do like all the topstitching even though it took me about 2 hours to do it all. I think it looks great with the brim turned up, but if you leave the brim straight, it is very floppy.



• My pattern alterations / design changes: No mods! Can you believe it?
• Would I sew it again or recommend it to others? Yes, I think I would sew this sun hat pattern again. (I don’t think I’d ever sew the turban in this pattern.) I made the smallest size (21 ½” head circumference) even though my head circumference is 21 ¾”. It’s a smidgeon too tight, so I may make the medium size next time (22 ½”).

Intentions

I had intended to have a post full of photos for you about my sombrero/vogue hat. Intentions! Ha! Instead, I’ve been cleaning up the home office to convert it to a guest-room;
I’ve helped a woman push her broken car out of the road then gave her the gas can from my Turkish bizarre of a car trunk;
I’ve baby-sat my mom’s guard dog overnight during a storm;
I’ve been eating lots of junk food;
I’ve been researching how to make a roman shade for my bedroom window;
I’ve been listening to a new album from the contemporary folk group Sometymes Why, and

I’ve bought new yarn.

New yarn? Internet, I know you’re thinking, “It’s about time!” I couldn’t agree with you more.

Alice’s parents live in Montana and raise angora goats. Said goats were recently sheared, their wool was spun, plied, and/or dyed. The new yarn just arrived here in Alabama. Its warm, mohair-wool fibers are just in time for hot and humid August.

Alice brought a tote bag full of one-of-a-kind hanks to Skanky Knitting tonight. Based on her recommendation, I chose the undyed, unbleached, natural color yarn. I’d always assumed that undyed wool was a creamy color, but as you can see in the photo below, this wool is a neutral gray. Alice claims it’ll take dye quite well, so if I start feeling frisky, I may just have a go with some pigment and a crock pot. (Find more yarn details in my Ravelry stash.)

What should I knit with this beautiful yarn? I need to finish my Peacock Shawl first, but this mohair-wool blend will be my next lace project OTN.

Sombrero or Vogue?

For today’s clue in the category of Sombrero or Vogue, I give you the following photo clue:

So what do think? Sombrero? or Vogue?

Margaret bag

A few weeks ago L told me she’d seen a cute purse pattern online for free! I’m trying desperately to convince her to get a sewing machine because I know she’d love it and really use it, so I suggested we get together to do some purse making. My plan is to talk to her so much about sewing that she caves to my masterful manipulation.

When we got together, we both had purchased our fabric, so we began by cutting fabric, lining, interlining, and interfacing. She used my mom’s machine and I brought my machine so that we could both sew at the same time. It took us all afternoon. I was busy fiddling with my own modifications for the first several hours, but L steadily made her way through the pattern as written. It’s times like these I’m jealous of L’s smart strategy of simply sticking to the original scope.

• Project Details: A girls’ afternoon of sewing up a cute, quick, and easy sling bag.
• Pattern: Oh frannson’s Margaret Bag.
• Fabric: 100% cotton duck (#10) with a retro green and blue geometric print from my fabric stash.
• Lining: outdoor cotton canvas in solid navy (scraps from another project).
• Notions: a big button, interfacing, flannel for interlining.
• Pattern Description: lined, sling bag with inside pockets and button closure.
• FO looks like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope? Yes.
• Were the instructions easy to follow? I’ll be honest, I didn’t really read the instructions. I tried to insert an interior zipper at first, but it took several hours of unsuccessful sewing and ripping. By the time I gave up on it, L was so far ahead of me that I just copied her. The instructions seemed to have clear photo descriptions, but the color printer didn’t work, so we checked the photo instructions on my iPhone as we sewed.
• My particular likes / dislikes about the pattern: I like how easy the pattern was to put together and I especially like the gussets. We did not need as much fabric as the pattern called for, but we used an awful lot of interfacing! I like the size of the final FO and mine is quite sturdy. I’m not terribly happy with how my button and button loop fasten, but I could modify it to suit me.
• My pattern alterations / design changes: I added an extra interior pocket with zipper. It looks like crap, but it’s fairly functional. I also used a twin needle for the first time when doing the top stitching on the strap and opening.
• Would I sew it again or recommend it to others? Yes, I do recommend this pattern. It’s clear and uncomplicated, would work with lots of different fabrics.

L’s bag is really cute, but I forgot to take a photo of it. She did the facing in black and white sprial-ish print with a pink lining. Maybe she’ll post a photo on her own blog.

fabric adventures around town

I visited two fabric stores in town today that I’d never seen before. One smelled like cigarette smoke and burned out vacuum cleaners. I did buy some neat, cotton fabric there and the shop owners were quite friendly. The second shop was a specialty shop for fabrics/notions used in making lingerie and swimwear. The shop owner was not so nice, quite curmudgeonly in fact, and therefore I bought nothing just to prove that I’m the queen curmudgeon in town.

I also went to my regular sewing shop because I needed help learning how to use this narrow hem foot. I tried to use it last night for the first time, but after a couple of hours of trying, I got frustrated and decided to go to a local sewing shop in the morning for some expert assistance.

At the shop, the gentleman who demonstrated how to use a narrow hem foot employed a method of mashing on the foot control and prodding the fabric through the machine. It was not elegant. Let’s just say it made me a bit uncomfortable, as if I were spying on a man who grunts and sweats as he toils away at some menacing feat of labor. After he completed a few inches of stitches, he took out the fabric and proudly showed me his work.

“But this isn’t a rolled hem. You can see the raw edge right beside these stitches,” I told him.

He informed me that a narrow hem foot doesn’t roll the raw edge. I insisted that it did, so he tried again, this time by jerking the fabric around under the speeding needle. OK, I’d seen enough.

His word of advice to me was that I should starch the fabric.

I did find a smaller hem foot (maybe 2mm?) for $3! I think it will work better for this project than my expensive 5mm narrow hem foot, so I’ll consider this part of the adventure a success.

inspira hemmer foot

And the news you’ve all been messaging me and tweeting about… I’ve chosen the turquoise linen as the lining for my brown dress. I cut it all out last night- it was quite a chore- and I’m sewing it all together now.