Did you know Remembrance Day used to be called Armistice Day? Because it was to honour the end of war, and celebrate peace? Somehow that got lost in the shuffle…
Anyway, I decided to knit a white poppy for peace, a longstanding tradition back to 1936.
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| White Poppy for Peace |
And here’s a free pattern for anyone who wants it and believes in peace!
Can never have too many sundresses! This is just freestyled from a 1¾ yards × 45” remnant I got at King Textiles. Zero waste because I barely had enough fabric as it was!
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| Black gingham sundress |
Decided to do a different style from what I usually gravitate to. Instead of tailoring details and buttons and topstitching, I went super basic elastic pull-on. I like the final effect, but the elastic was kind of annoying to sew. And I probably ended up spending as much on elastic as I spent on fabric.
I started by figuring out the top front, based on my bust measurement and one dart. The back is a straight rectangle wide enough that once sewn into a tube, I could slide it on an off without needing fasteners. I used 1” wide, non-rolling elastic at the top edge (cased), underbust, and waist for stability. The remaining elastic is ¼” wide regular elastic. All elastic was just triple-zigzagged on.
For the skirt, I took the remaining fabric, about a yard and a quarter (wish there was just a bit more!) and divided it into four equal strips. One strip I measured into thirds, so I had three strips 45” wide, one 15”, and one 30”. I joined one width with the 15” strip and the other two with the 30” strip, so I had two long pieces—one about 60” and one about 120”. I gathered the longer one onto the shorter one, and the shorter one onto the top. Voila!
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| Trying and failing to demonstrate the fullness of the skirt while using the camera on timer |
Will I wear this a lot? Yes! Will I make another like it? Noooooo
Finished the Argil tank! Very happy with it! Great pattern all around—well-written, interesting construction, a nice balance of mindless and interesting, and easy to see progress by the stripes. 100% would make again!
I really like the yarn as well, Mandarin Petit from Sadnes Garn.
My clematis is a hit in the backyard too!
Back to the office means back to knitting in public! At least on rainy days when I'm not keen to ride my bicycle.
Currently on the needles: the Argil top in cotton, I can see getting a lot of wear out of this over the summer!
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| All my commuter gear |
It's sunny, so I'm wearing a sundress!
Piecing, hemming, and gathering the bias for the bottom ruffle felt endless, but it's all done and I'm so happy. Just need the weather to cooperate. At least the frost warning was lifted...
A silly corner of my brain thinks all my problems will be solved if I can just find a cute enough dress. Could this be it? Femme-ier than usual for me but I am just in love with this fabric. The pattern is actually reminiscent of a jersey print I got from the Queen of Suburbia destash a couple of years ago. That one was a bit pinkier, flowers and splotches where this is cherries and polka dots.
Started with laying out the pieces I drafted:
Bias cut so I can wriggle in (it's all ties, no zips or buttons) and the rectangles at the top are just to give me an idea if I have enough for a bottom ruffle (think I'm okay). It will be cut on the bias as well. All the scraps will be wrangled into ties and loops.
The top has just enough coverage and structure to go without underpinnings (I hope):
The lower edge is curved to my ribcage, centre seam so the parts that need it are mainly straight grain, ruched to pull it all together. I decided to cut an extra ruffle from scraps and finish with a bow:
Will this dress finally be the one cute enough to solve all of life's problems? Only time can tell...
