Sewing Plans

I think I may get more sewing done if I list the projects I have in mind to do soon. Mainly, this is one of those posts where I try to get my thoughts in order.

First, I want to get Burda 7993 done. I have some plain pink cotton for this, for now. I hope to get something cuter later. I have an Amy Butler print that I am starting to think may make a cute top. The pattern pieces are cut out, but I am still trying to figure out this whole fitting thing as described in my Fit For Real People book. It seems very lengthy and complicated. I thought all I'd need to do is figure out a full-bust adjustment (FBA), but apparently there are loads of other steps to attend to first. The fitting is really the reason I haven't started on the muslin yet. It's confusing and a bit scary.

Next, I'll either have Vogue 8196 (another shirt, minus the puffy sleeves), or New Look 6644, a DRESS (and the matching jacket). I don't have fabric for the shirt yet, so I may wait on it, plus I am eager to work on the NL dress, but if I feel I still need a little more practice before undertaking the dress, I'll go for the shirt first. I could use the AB print I mentioned above for the top, or find something else. I have some pinkish lavender linen for the dress.

Then, I will do the dress I posted about before. I'll be using view D of Vogue 8280. I found an eyelet fabric that I think will be perfect, but don't actually have it yet. Someone recommended that I use cotton batiste, too, so after I find out what that is, I'll be using that for the lining. I need to find a pattern with a v-back to use. I've found so many with v-necks, but hardly any with a v-back.

Then, I want to do my interpretation of the Kara Janx Kimono dress using New Look 6674. I want to do it in a dark pink rayon MC with a light pink rayon as the CC edging. I'm going to make changes - if I can figure out how to add a 3/4 sleeve, I will do that, and I am definitely carrying the CC down the front of the dress. Oh, and I'm going to make a fatter belt like the inspiration dress has. I love this dress so much! I can already see how great it's going to look... so I hope I am not getting my hopes up too much.

Then I want to attempt my EvaDress pattern... in silk ottoman taffeta. I think this is going to be a huge challenge, which is part of the reason I'm putting it off for so long.

Oh, and I have to make a purse using this Amy Butler fabric:

I have about 2 or 2.5 yds of it. The pattern I want to use only uses about a yd (or was it half a yard?), so I don't know what I'll do with the rest. One of my friends thinks it would be a cute top, too, but I just don't know. Oh, there's a quarter on there for reference.

This is by no means an exact schedule of the sewing I'm going to be doing over the next few months. These are just things I want to get done, and definitely don't want to forget.

PS. Knitting related news is that the back of the LG wrap sweater is almost done.
Also, proof of how ridiculous my inability to stay on one project is. Here are all finished (or very nearly so) pieces of sweaters:

The front and back of the Gatsby Girl:

One front and the nearly completed back of the Lana Grossa sweater:


The back of the Rebecca Apriot Jacket:

Take that, Rebecca!!

I FINALLY found some clearer instructions on the Craftster Knitalong for the R. Apricot Jacket, and yesterday almost finished the entire back! Yay! LOVE the BSCF, and the color is great! The instructions in the mag are almost useless, but it's finally coming along. :-D

Rip-it, rip-it, rip-it

Wow, right now, all of my knitting projects suck. Ok, not really - but I am going to have to do a lot of ripping!

First, Rambling Rose. I knit about half of the ribbing for this, decided I was unhappy with it, because the stitches weren't even enough for my taste, and so I ripped out today. There IS something very satisfying in ripping out a project that has frustrated you. I hate 1x1 rib, but this cardigan will be worth it.

The (Desert) Sunrise Circle jacket is going to look beautiful in the yarn I chose, but my gauge is off, so I'll have to rip back. I don't understand how that happened; it was perfect when I swatched, and I even measured it when I started. But now I'm about two rows off, and it's an inch longer than it should be. I guess I loosened my gauge farther into the piece. I found out I should be knitting a front piece first, anyway, so it's ok.

So, instead of redoing either of the projects I've just mentioned, I started on the Apricot Jacket. The ribbing on it went rather smoothly, and even quickly, until I got to the chart. The directions are very poor in this pattern, and since I hadn't been able to get my edge stitches right, I just cut them out and did 2x2 ribbing, not realizing how it would screw with the chart. I'd read that others did this and still had their jackets come out ok, but I don't know how and now I can't find any of those blogs. So I MAY have to rip that, too... although I really, really hope not.

So I cast that aside, too, and started my first pair of socks, knitty's Pomatomus socks. And now I am in love! I'm not far into the chart at all, but so far, the pattern is very clear and instructive, I can understand the chart, and knitting in the round, I don't have to worry about remembering which way to knit the chart, which is often a problem for me.