One old and one new

Hi there, going to share the first project I made with my sister’s fabric today =) AND I’ll finally give you *the* project, my favourite selfmade garment so far. But before we come to that, I feel I have to elaborate on the grey-blue jumper and the skirt from last post a bit more. Seems I was too lazy when I originally wrote it.

About the jumper: I was asked again how I managed to do cables in my very first knitting piece. My answer: There are no cables. The pattern alternates between 6 knits and two purls, creating the illusion of cables. And btw: Cables really are easy peasy, too =) Didn’t want to believe so myself, but by now I’ve tried and know for myself.

About the skirt: Thank you for the compliments, Carol and Christae!! =) I love the pattern, but the alterations aren’t finished yet. The side seams are perpendicular to the floor, but too far back. Gotta adjust the back part for my fat bottom Besides, it truly only is a muslin since the fabric I used isn’t suitable for garments. Just was what I had lying around.

On to more interesting stuff! Like the blazer I sewed back in – oops – may. Took me quite some time to show you, eh? I was looking for something a bit more formal yet not too … prim. To wear on occasions such as exhibit openings, conferences and the like. The pattern I settled on is from Burda Fashion,  july issue 2008, number 103 view A. I think it looks modern, young and sportive. The fabric I chose to enhance it’s elegance is a black shot silver-grey dupion silk. I intensified the young and sportive air by adding black decorative seams (e.g. left and right to the center back) and using a bold black one-way zipper (the pattern called for a two-way zipper, but I don’t like those). The blazer is unlined – great for summer – but since I used silk, I put dress-shields in. Gotta admit, if I make it again, I’d probably line it completely.

Sorry, don’t have any good photo of the back view.

Now, I wanted to make an easy first project with the fabric I got from my sister (she liked the bag btw) to be quickly able to show her results. There were two coordinating cotton fabrics in her parcel. They really called for patchwork, but I am not into that. Instead, I chose to try out Amy Butler’s apron pattern from her book In Stitches. It’s very lovely and looks rather cute made from this retro-ish fabric. Especially the pleats on the ties make me go whoo! On the down side, it’s too long (for me), yet the pocket is far too small. I generally like the idea of the loop for a dish towel, but don’t think I’d ever use it myself. The apron will probably go to a friend whose birthday is in november and who’ll have to bake a lot of christmas cookies for her little daughter then.

Will show you more projects asap – until soon!

 

Influences

A good week ago, I started to read the first book of a trilogy I was given for christmas. It’s a rather well-known trilogy, an authentically told family epos you could say, set in Pomerania. My dad and his siblings were born in Pomerania and grew up there until they had to escape in WW2. My dad was homesick for decades, although he liked his new home as well. He often described the beautiful pomeranian landscape and way of life. Of course, a lot if not most of that was nostalgia for his abruptly ended childhood.

Now, you see, my ancestors (strange to use this old-fashioned word) came from all parts of the world. Even my dad’s family hadn’t always been in Pomerania, although it might have sound like that above. Some were Huguenots that had escaped  from France. Part of my mum’s family was/is from Sweden. I myself grew up close to the danish borders and was most connected to my maternal relatives. That is why, in spite of not speaking swedish and never even having been to Sweden, I’ve always considered myself quite, well “scandinavian-influenced”. (Unfortunately, that never extended towards my outer appearance. Aren’t scandinavian girls just too pretty?) I still do believe that I got a lot from that site, but – and now I finally return to the beginning – reading that trilogy made  me realise how incredibly much I got from that pomeranian side, too! Games we used to play as children, sayings we had, our little rituals and so on and so on – all originating in Pomerania! And I never even knew. Of course, it was my dad who taught us those games and sayings etc., but I probably never thought about it being a child and all. So, 20 years later I discover an unknown side to a lot of stuff that shaped my character, taste and way of thinking.

Such a strange experience. Also exciting, comforting, energising, connecting. I am only beginning to grasp all this. With nearly every page I read I find more I have to think about. Not bad at all. Curious, where -if- this will lead.