Tag: Flamingo

Scrap Nelly

Using leftovers to make a one-pocket sweater.

So I told you a little about Nelly in a previous post (here), but never showed you what I used the original Nelly for. Nelly is reason that I discovered Pattydoo patterns. I found the assymmetry in the sweater so much fun, that I wanted to have it. I apparently bought it in December 2019, printed it, stuck it together and then forgot about it. When rummaging around the sewing room the other week, I found the box of leftover bits of sweater fabric that I still had. This included a small bit of Flamingo and a bit of grey from this sweater. These two fabrics together were precisely enough to make the body and sleeves of the sweater. The neck was about half as tall as it was supposed to be, due to the fact that I didn’t have more fabric.

Now, you might notice that there are a few differences between my sweater and the original. For one, I use only two fabric while there are three in the pattern – I didn’t have a third coordinating fabric, so problem solved by taping two pattern pieces together. Its also a mirror image of the original, that’s because I put the pieces (single layer) on the back of my grey fabric. I was EXTREMELY lucky that I figured out that I had them on the front of the flamingoes before cutting the fabric, and could turn them around. This project would have been a disaster otherwise. The cuffs are also a little shorter, made from some grey jersey in the hoard, mainly because it was already a little large so I didn’t need more length. And lastly, it’s more fitted through the armholes, since I took in the armhole and a bit of the side and sleeve by 3 cm at the widest point. It just looked too baggy. I think it should’ve cut a size smaller.

However, I am happy with it. Fabrics from my stash, nearly using it all up so it’s effectively a nearly free second project, especially as I’m planning on using the pattern more than once. It has the option to make a sweater with a kangaroo pocket or a hood too. I have found that the one pocket is not deep enough for my phone if I bend over, so that might be something to fix in another version.

Flamingoes!

I’ve developed this strange interest in flamingos recently. While I abhor pink, I have a weird fascination with the feathered creatures. What doesn’t help is that they look so funny in cartoon form and that their legs bend the wrong way. So when I saw a fabric at the market that was light blue with grey flamingos on it, I could not resist.

The fabric was a sweatshirt type fabric with a weirdly brushed inside. I decided to make a top. The end result is a pattern hack of Lekala 4742 (made before here Ochre Obsession) and Papavero pattern 0712. I did want the pockets from the Lekala, but the hood was overly large and I liked the big funnel type collar on the Papavero one. The Lekala pattern was shortened between the bust and the pocket opening by 9 cm or so since I also wanted to add a contrast band. I also increased the sleeve width and side width as I had to insert a sleeve gusset in the previous version. This fabric turned out to be a lot stretchier so all those increases were taken out during sewing again. The new collar fit without changing anything, although I did decide to use a single layer and just double fold the edge instead of doing a double layer collar.

Sewing went pretty quickly and I like the look of this thing. I will have to see if the pockets hold up and whether stitching with a straight stitch turns out to be smart in the end. If I get a lot of thread breakage, I know it wasn’t. For now, the weather turned quite warm, but perhaps it will cool down and I can wear it soon.

Quick Projects

So on Friday I finished two more quick projects.  The first was another poppy (e.g. here) since there are people in my distant surroundings multiplying, seemingly voluntary. This one was made from a new flannel sheet. I’m debating making another one for myself (or adopting this one, still deciding).

For the first time I actually measured the distance between stitches for the hat, so this one is, I think, the neatest stitched one.

Project 2 is a bag. Well, it was not a bag, it was a top. Friends of mine gave me a top with a flamingo on it since it was an S. However, the arm holes were so deep that I would be uncomfortable wearing it. I decided to remove the neck binding and cut out the back as deep as the front. I then sewed the bottom together and added some corners. I also folded over the neck and stitched it down with a twin needle. This project has been half-finished for weeks. I just needed to get my act together and actually do the stitching, so luckily I managed to do that!

It is so deep that I couldn’t find anything that would stick out the top – seriously. I tried cutting boards, drinks, shoes? That’s why you get the ugly inside shot. Now on to using this cutie.