I had hoped to sew a small stack of Oakridge Blouses for our trip. Sadly, this was the only version of the pattern I made. Mostly, this is the only version I made, because I don't love it. I'm not giving up hope that Oakridge and I can be friends, but that remains to be seen after a bit of pattern tweaking. Oakridge and I got off on the wrong foot. I bought the PDF version of this pattern during the Sewaholic Birthday sale with the plan to have it printed full-scale at a print shop. I love knowing I have the option to re-print my favorite indie patterns after I've loved them to shreds, but I really don't love taping together tiles. I was really excited about the print shop option. Except, it wasn't as excellent as I'd hoped. Due to page size of the printshop version of this pattern, it was too large to print on the blue printer printer at my local Staples. The good news, is that Staples has a large scale document printer, the bad news is that it would have cost me $118 to print my pattern using said printer. FedEx- Kinkos has an Oc'e printer that can print documents large enough to print a sewing pattern without scaling, but they were unable to print the Oakridge (or the Granville) blouse(s) due to a security encryption placed on the files. It took me more than a week of emailing print shops and the ladies at Sewaholic before I was able to get this pattern printed. In the end, it worked out. I am happy to report that I had incredibly positive experiences in all my email inquiries to Tasia and Caroline at Sewaholic. They were responsive and professional throughout our entire interaction. Ultimately, I was able to print the pattern at FedEx. For whatever it's worth, they get my highest possible rating in overall customer service and satisfaction, truly. Regarding the blouse, the shape of the blouse doesn't suit my preferences. I should have taken photos to illustrate how flared this shirt is. I am a pear shaped lady, no doubt; however, the flare on this blouse is far too exaggerated for my personal tastes, and it makes me feel wider at the hip than I am. I would never wear this blouse un-tucked, because I feel that the flare draws more attention to my hips, the area of my body I typically dress to minimize. It does work tucked into a skirt. Also, I love the bow neckline as an alternative to a collar. So, at some point, I may try to redraft the body of the blouse into a more subtle A-line and see if I feel more comfortable wearing it. After all the trouble I went to in order to print it, it deserves a second look. The backdrop for the photos of my Oakridge is Canal Saint Martin. During the planning phases of our trip, the group made a list of all the things we preferred in our accommodations. Having all lived in Chicago, one thing we were certain about is that we didn't want to stay in or around the 1st arrondissement, the area with the most tourist draw. To us, this seemed comparable to staying on Michigan Avenue during a trip to Chicago, which we know, is not where the best parts of the city are found. Hoping instead for more local flavor, we chose to stay in Canal Saint Martin. The location was exactly what we'd hoped. Our apartment was approximately a block from the canal & the Republic Metro station. Within the same radius, we had access to two grocery stores, a cheese shop, a top rated bakery, numerous cafes, bars, restaurants and shops.
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This, friends, was my favorite part of Paris. La Promenade Plantee, or Coulee verte Rene Dumont, is a green space and artists community. The green space, started in the 1980's, is built on top of out of service rail tracks. It's a brilliant use of space. Promenade Plantee has been used here in the U.S. as the inspiration for the High Line and Bloomingdale Line projects. Mike and I walked and enjoyed the High Line during a trip to New York a couple years ago, and I've been eager to visit the park that inspired the project since. In addition to its well established plant life, Promenade Plantee is home to numerous artisan shops. The shops, built within the viaducts below the tracks, house book binders, instrument makers, jewlers, and FABRIC. Yes. FABRIC. During our fabric shopping excursion, our hostess and guide Barbara introduced us to Mahlia Kent. Mahlia Kent is a weaver and textile artist who supplies numerous fashion houses. The Paris store front, located within the viaducts of the park, stocks remnant cuts and excess bolts of these textiles. THEY ARE AMAZING. If you're the sort of souvenir fabric shopper who likes to buy things she can't find at home, this shop is an absolute must! Meg, Liz and I all found treasures here during our first stop, and we all went back for seconds. After our first walk through the Promenade Plantee, Mike and I returned here for training runs. It was an incredibly peaceful place to run. Starting at the beginning of the park, near the Bastille Opera, it's possible to run an uninterrupted 6 mile loop. An added bonus is that you can reward yourself for a job well done with Starbucks on the walk back to the train. 'To-go" coffee was one of the most difficult things to find while we vacationing, which made it even more of a treat! Starbucks was one of the only options we found for a cup on the run, and even that seemed to be a half-strength watered down version of what we're used to. I digress. If you're not a runner, I know the idea of running while on vacation seems strange. But, we were very excited to discover the park. Urban running can be very frustrating between dodging pedestrians and cars and frequent stop/starts for traffic signals. If you are a runner, you might also be interested to know about LRP. They're a fun group! Mike and I joined LRP for an 18km (11mile) run from the center of Paris to Versailles, one of the most memorable experiences of our trip. Enough about running, you're here for sewing. This dress is another of the McCall's 6696 shirtwaist dresses I made to bring. For this version, I used a vintage fabric purchased at an estate sale. It's 100% cotton with screened flower bunches printed on top of a gingham check. The instant I saw this fabric, I knew it wanted to be a shirtwaist. It sat on the shelf for two years waiting for me to build my skills and confidence. It's well worth the wait. This dress is everything I hoped it would be. :-D
I can't stop myself. These days, when I find a pattern I love, I have to make it over (and over) again. The Sorell Trousers are no exception. My love for this pattern deepened as soon as I finished this denim pair. These are my favorite pair of pants I've ever owned. These pants are a great example of why I love making my own clothes. As a short gal, a lot of RTW pants styles are off-limits for me. It's not possible to maintain the shape of a pant leg after you've hemmed 6 inches off the bottom, because, as those of us who sew know, the length needs to be taken from the middle of the leg, not the bottom. Then, there's the booty, which in my case requires a different size pair of RTW pants than my waist. I can't tell you how many pairs of gappy waist, ill fitting pants I've owned in my life. When you make your own pants, especially if they're darted, there's no problem closing the gap! These pants work with my curves, not against them. Did I mention they're comfortable and easy to wear. I felt very put together wearing them, and they transitioned beautifully from one activity to another. Following our morning at the flea market, Mike and I joined Meg and Josh for a trip to the museum. Neither Mike nor I get very excited by museums, but it seemed silly to travel all the way to Paris and not stop to visit a couple of the most famous. Musee d'Orsay wasn't originally on our short list of contenders, but as chance would have it, it was free day at the museum and we had an open afternoon. After browsing through vintage fashion sketches and loading up on buttons, we made our way across the city. A lot of people had the same idea we did. There was a substantial line to get into the museum, but it moved quickly and it was worth the wait. We enjoyed d'Orsay even more than the Louvre. Mona is great, but she doesn't compete with the collections of van Goh, Renoir, and Monet on display at d'Orsay. It's a hit factory. And, for people who prefer the highlight reel over spending entire days museum hopping, it served our purposes.
One activity that made all our lists of "must- do" while we were in Paris was a trip to the flea market. Everyone in our group shares a fondness, to some degree, for vintage. Perhaps my love of vintage is the reason flea markets are one of the first things that pop into my mind in association with Paris, even before the Eiffel Tower or macarons. We each had an eye out for different things while we were there. Liz found some vintage fabrics, including a cut of rayon. Meg and I were on a mission for buttons. Mike, on the other hand, spent most of his time skimming through stacks of records and vintage screen prints. Felix took and posted wonderful photos of the different varieties of objects available. Though Marche aux Puces St.-Ouen de Clignancourt is the largest and most famous flea market in Paris, we decided it wasn't for us. Most of the reviews we read suggested that it was geared largely towards an interior decorating crowd, overpriced, and very crowded. Instead we opted for Les Puces de Vanves. It was a moderate sized market filled with some very eclectic goods. We were sure to arrive to the market early in the morning, a good decision, as the crowd filled-in midday as we were preparing to leave. Mike donned another of his McCall's M6044 shirts for the occasion. This shirt was a last minute addition to his wardrobe. I finished sewing this shirt moments before we left for the airport. I don't know which one of us was more excited to discover that, thanks to all my practice shirt making, I can put one of these together in a few short hours. We've already added a couple pieces of flannel to his stash for future versions. I think M6044 is to Mike's closet what the Archer is to mine. It was a cool morning, and the coffee vendor situated at the midpoint of the market was the most popular guy doing business that day.
Back in the list making stages of planning what I wanted to make and take on vacation, I knew I needed to sew pants. As deeply as my love runs for McCall's 6696, I didn't want to limit myself to dresses the entire time we were away. Fortunately, for me, the Pauline Alice release of the Sorell Trousers pattern perfectly coincided with my list making. It was love at first sight. These wide leg trousers are everything I love about old Hollywood trouser styles with modern elements that seamlessly translate into a contemporary wardrobe. These pants have a moderate rise, which eliminates the 'mom butt' that accompanies higher waisted vintage designs and allows the pleats on the front of the pant to hang below the fullest part of the abdomen, reducing the appearance of bulk in the midsection. The volume in the leg of the trouser beautifully balances out the proportions of the body. The result is a very flattering, incredibly comfortable, and, in my opinion, very classy and classic looking trouser. The pattern features deep front pockets and welt pockets on the rear. I chose to eliminate the watch pocket on the front of the pants. It's a cute detail, but I worried it would add bulk. I sewed this version in a black linen/rayon blend fabric. The fabric worked nicely with the pattern and provides ample swish when I walked, but I do prefer a heavier fabric for these pants. The only other modification I made to this pattern was to reduce the length of the pant leg by 3 inches (I am 5'1" (and a half) for interested parties). I topped these pants with another sleeveless Archer blouse. I made the blouse using some stashed estate sale rayon that I was surprised to discover had an Alexander Henry maker's mark printed on its selvages. I have come to terms with the realization that I cannot stop myself from sewing more Archers. It's a four season pattern, and I can always use another. On that subject, I really could use another black 4ply cardigan. My Grace cardigan, shown in these photos, goes with me on every trip I take. It's easily the most practical and useful garment I've ever made. We spent our first full day in Paris getting acquainted with and oriented with the city. The best way I know to get comfortable in a place is to explore on foot. Aimless exploration, however, is not my strong suit. I like to have a purpose to my meandering. In Brussels, we used the comic murals and chocolate shops as a way to propel ourselves around the city. For our first day in Paris, we used a map of covered passages. Mike and I accidentally stumbled into the Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert during our chocolate hunting adventure, and we were hopeful that the Paris Passages/Galleries would be as fun to explore. The passages are a 19th century equivalent to present day shopping malls. The covered corridors protected shoppers from the rain and/or other inclement weather and were formerly a very high-end shopping destination. Today, they largely house specialty and antique shops. If you do decide to tour the covered passages of Paris, I would suggest you take a pass on Passage Du Prado and Passage Du Ponceau. They were among the first passages on our route. They are poorly kept and filled with sketchy businesses. The passages got better as we went along. We were delighted to stumbled upon Lil Weasel in Passage du Grand Cerf and we found a favorite food stop, Caramel Sarasin on our way out of Passage des 2 Soeurs. We even manged to make our way down to the Louvre campus before calling it quits. We covered a lot of ground on our first day in town; 10miles or more if Fitbits and phone pedometers are accurate.
Our final day in Brussels was also our first day in Paris! We had a late afternoon train, so we decided to squeeze in one more attraction prior to leaving the city. We'd spotted the Musical Instuments Museum (MIM) the day before during our hike to the Sablon area for chocolate, and we were curious to see if the inside of the building was as delightful as its exterior. After we fueled up on omelettes and coffee, we trekked back towards the Mont Des Arts garden en route to the museum, which provided a gorgeous backdrop for photos of Mike's second version of McCall's 6044. In the course of traveling together, Mike has been dragged to numerous yarn and fabric stores. Fortunately, he's a really good sport. Since he's along for the ride, he sometimes spots fabrics he likes for himself. At this point he has a designated cubby of the fabric stash. The majority of the fabric stash dedicated to Mike is plaid and/or gingham. So, he had to learn some basic plaid matching principles before he could start cutting. As I mentioned previously, he's a quick study, and he caught on quickly. He did a great job balancing the plaid on the fronts of his shirt and matching across seam lines. We decided to cut his cuffs and button bands on the bias as a design feature and to avoid having to match in those areas. For those of you who seemed curious about getting your recipients involved in the process of making their own garments, I highly recommend it. It's much like cooking together or other activities where you're where you're participating towards an outcome that you're both rewarded by. I love to sew, he gets a shirt. It's a win-win situation. The museum was a fantastic way to fill our last morning in Brussels. There was a wide array of Instuments spanning centuries of development across continents. Most of the installations have interactive recordings of music featuring the instruments they contain. It's not a large museum, so you can easily explore all the exhibits in a short window of time and it wasn't at all crowded. It's definitely worth a visit, if you find yourself in Brussels. This is the second version of McCall's 6696 I made to bring along on vacation. Making five versions of the same pattern in different fabrics is an interesting experiment in textiles. Oddly, each of my dresses fits me slightly differently, despite being cut and sewn using identical methods. To start, I should probably recap the modifications I made to the original pattern. At the onset of this experiment, I determined that I would smooth the gathers from the back bodice in exchange for a flat, fitted top. I also shortened my bodice by an inch and removed 1/2 inch in height from the collar. Next, I narrowed the shoulders of this pattern by 1 1/2 inches each. I wanted a fitted waist, so I used a zero ease measurement. Finally, I lopped 6 inches out of the skirt length. My chambray version of this dress fit nearly exactly the way I wanted it to (I could shorten the bodice a bit more to be 100% happy), so I was very surprised to discover that this version of the dress was so snugglebuggle. I'd used the same construction methods and modifications, which leads me to believe that the fabrics are to blame for the differences in fit. The fabric I used in this dress is a linen/rayon blend from Joann Fabric. It has a really beautiful hand and a fantastic drape. I still love the dress, but it's definitely not the sort of dress I'll wear to enjoy a large meal. So, it's ironic that I wore it the day we decided to explore Brussels' chocolatiers. This was another day of exploration and scavenger hunting. We made ourselves an offline map of the chocolate shops we wanted to visit. Our list included: Frederic Blondeel, Neuhaus, Pierre Marcolini, Laurent Gerbaud, Passion Chocolat, & Leonidas We made it our mission to try as many varieties of chocolate as we could from each of the shops we stopped in. It was divine, especially the hot chocolate we drank at Laurent Gerbaud. I can't honestly say I tasted a chocolate I didn't like. But, there was a clear winner, in my opinion: Neuhaus, Rigoletto. My mouth waters just thinking about it. I was overjoyed to discover there are Nehaus locations in New York. Sadly, I've learned they do not stock Rigoletto. This leads me to the very reasonable conclusion that I will have to go back to Brussels to buy more. :-D
Mike. I like Mike. A lot. So much, I sewed for him. In fact, I love this man to no end. And, it would appear he loves me; enough so to entertain, enable and encourage my crazy ideas. And, friends, there are lots. When he asked to be added to the vacation sewing list, I couldn't refuse. But I had one condition, he had to help. As a tall but thin guy, Mike typically has to choose between a shirt that is long enough and largely oversized, or a shirt that fits his torso with sleeves that don't reach his wrists. The struggle is real. To sew this shirt, we started with McCall's 6044, chose the size medium width, and lengthened the body and sleeves of this shirt by 3 inches each. Once we made all our flat pattern adjustments, MIKE got busy and cut out his own shirts. Yes, you read correctly! He's a good student. I showed him how to find the grain of the fabric, I explained the markings on the patterns, and I advised him to be mindful of plaid matching across seam lines. He did an A+ job. Though, I caution anyone who plans to teach an engineer how to cut a pattern against using words like, 'exact' or 'precise', for both your benefit. (LOL) I substituted the sleeve placket with my preferred tower placket. In future versions, we will likely taper the shirt slightly beginning at the under arm to better follow the shape of Mike's body. His hips are considerably narrower than his shoulders, and he could use a bit less ease in that area. Overall, we are both very pleased with the finished garment. Mike reports that he felt very comfortable in his new shirt. And, if I may, he looked great in it! On this particular day, I marched Mike around Brussels in search of the best chocolate Brussels has to offer (more on that later). The shirt was a performer, even in the rain. I think the above photo caught the exact moment the rain poured from the sky. Mike's shirt and shoes aren't even wet yet. Fortunately, this was the only rain we saw on our trip, and there was shelter nearby. Mike was rewarded for his resilience with another of Brussels' culinary claims to fame. Frites, or French Fries, as we call them. Vegetarians beware, these are no ordinary fries. They're fried twice in beef marrow, the secret ingredient. It probably goes without saying, I didn't partake. Mike assures me they are delightful and worth the stomachache he earned from overindulgence. I think the expression on his face while he was eating them says it all.
While I spent my summer knitting hours on socks, I spent the majority of my summer sewing hours stitching together garments to take and wear during our recent vacation. I've sewn a mini vacation wardrobe before. This trip, I had extra incentive and motivation to sew, because we weren't traveling alone. At some point during one of our regular get togethers, Liz, Meg and I started chatting about wanting to go fabric shopping in Paris. It was daydream banter, really. We'd seen other bloggers post about the marvelous fabric shops in the city of lights, and we were starry eyed at the possibility of having our own adventures. That chatting turned to scheming, then convincing, and. ultimately, planning. Before we knew it, we were on our way! If it all seems a little ridiculous, it is. I still giggle over the idea that we managed to arrange an entire trip abroad based on our original premise, but we did, and it was wonderful! A major topic of conversation in the months leading up to our departure was the things we planned to sew and knit for the trip. We were all bursting with ideas, and among those ideas, we had a common plan to sew the very popular McCall's M6696 shirtdress. This dress was the building block of my vacation wardrobe. As I recently mentioned, I've been unable to stop myself from making multiple versions of patterns I enjoy. A shirtwaist dress is one of the most classic and effortless garments a girl can have in her closet. One would not do. I needed several. Five, actually. Well, six, if I'm being totally honest (my first version landed in timeout). I came to own this particular pattern thanks to the generosity of the lovely Mrs. Hughes who sent it to me in the form of a prize package for a giveaway she hosted on her blog. This pattern first caught my attention back when Clare made it for her vacation. But, it took the surge of McCall's 6696 dresses across the sewing blogsphere to convince me I should sew it. I'm so very glad I did! I wore this chambray version of M6696 during Mike's and my first day in Brussels. (Each couple in our group took a mini-trip prior to meeting in Paris). It served me well. We started our first day with a short walk through Botanic Kruidtuin and then embarked on a self-guided walking tour/scavenger hunt searching for as many of the city's famous comic murals as we could spot. Mike and I are strong believers in pedestrian tourism. We like to walk and explore in the process. These murals were a wonderful way to get acquainted with the city as we weaved in and out of side streets and down roads less heavily frequented by crowds. We spent most of our time in the center of the city in order to maximize the small amount of time we had available. But, we did manage to find a few spots without any obvious tourists. We found Brussels to be a very navigable, international, and friendly city. We arrived at the tail end of summer. Boulevard Adolphe was closed to traffic and the temporary home of numerous palate playgrounds and felled tree trunks inviting people to spend the evenings sitting outdoors watching impromptu table tennis and badminton matches in the street. Evenings were lively and heavily populated with both tourists and locals. Best of all, Mike and I found several restaurants serving gluten free and vegetarian menus and brews, which allowed us to blend in with the crowd. We trekked many miles our first day. We even found our way to the fabric store(s), Les Tissus du vert chine, which currently holds the award for the most charming and 'best dressed' fabric store I've ever had the pleasure of visiting! It's well worth a trip if you ever find yourself in the vicinity!
SPREE noun ... I'm not quite sure about the 'orgy' bit, but the rest does seem to describe the moderate obsession I've been having with the Broken Seed Stitch Socks. They're addictive. I first saw this pattern used on Steph's blog and loved the idea of using leftover sock yarns. It sounded like an excellent way to start cleaning up some of those random odds/ends accumulating in the stash. But, as Steph mentions, these socks require deceivingly small amounts of yarn. When I'd finished the first pair, my leftover balls of yarn had shrunk, but enough yarn remained to knit a second pair of socks (three pairs from one skein, actually, if you count the originals). I reached back into the sock scrap box and grabbed a secondary contrast color. And, I kept going. I can't stop, I won't stop... my shared affliction with Miley. Where sock knitting is concerned, I prefer simple stitch patterns that don't add a lot of bulk to the sock. This pattern is interesting to look at without the addition of lumpy-bumpies or holey-woleies. It relies on the contrast between the two yarns to provide the visual effect. It's interesting to look at without being totally impractical and uncomfortable to wear inside a shoe. I especially enjoy the appearance of the variegated yarns. I like the look of the variegated yarns in these pairs of socks over any of the original pairs I knit using them, because I get all the benefit of the color palate(s) without globs or pooling. Also, instead of burying/blurring the design of the stitch pattern, the variegated yarn enhances it. I see more of these in my near future. As a general proposition, I seem unable to make one of any pattern lately. This is also true with sewing, as I hope to show you soon! This space has been cycling between feast & famine a lot lately. I have LOTS of projects finished, and I'm due for a period of plenty.
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