Long weekend sewing projects

 Nothing like a long weekend, with a very rainy day thrown in, to allow for sewing activities!

I always seem to have a few projects in my queue, which means I am usually not at a loss for some sewing time. Good thing, too, as I spent the day in indecision on that matter.

I got a rough muslin made up of the Mitchell pants this week, worked on narrowing the legs and then I was super undecided Saturday about what to do next:

Fortunately the fit is fine. So the question I debated was: Should I make up a pair in the black cotton, just to make sure I get it right, before moving on to the tropical wool I got in Montreal? Or  just trust myself that 'I have got this'? I also needed to get to the fabric store to get the hardware for the tabs...

Once I had decided to go with the wool directly, it was fully my intention to cut out the Mitchell pants in the wool today (Monday of the long weekend), but a last minute indecision made me pause. I wanted feedback on the trimming I had done to the legs, so took the muslin to 'Frock-talk' (on occasional meeting of three sewing friends to plan and talk sewing!), to get some input. So cutting was delayed.

So back to rainy Saturday, while deciding about the Michells, I decided to get to work on making a pair of undies (using up the knit scraps.) I cut out a pair of the myfit undies by Apostrophe, then decided to go ahead an cut out the base layer set in the teal wool jersey, also from Montreal.

This was not so simple. I won't need the leggings (long johns) for months (I hope; nor the top for that matter), but needed to make sure I had enough yardage for both pieces. So I decided it made sense to place and cut the leggings first, as they need more length, then work with the top.

But of course, more indecision... the jersey does not have quite the stretch required for the pattern... can I make it work? Hemming and hawing... I decided it needed more length, but the horizontal stretch would probably be fine in the same size I had cut before.

Modelling is awkward!

When I got to placing the pieces for the top (the leggings being cut out), I ended up not quite having enough for the length of the sleeves. Darn! 

So I cut them shorter and added a cuff. 

As for the leggings - well they are pretty tight!

But Jalie patterns are so great to sew. Pieces come together really well.

It's fine. Really!

I finished both of these on Sunday. The leggings fit, but I think the seams look stressed.

I also was lazy. The elastic was supposed to fit onto the waistband perfectly, (no stretching to sew it on) but somehow it got out of kilter, and as I got to the last third of the waistband I needed to stretch it. So, at rest, the waistband puckers. But I did not figure that if I unstitched it I would get it right the second time, so I left it. It does not show when wearing!

This base layer will be quite toasty when the time comes! I have our September kayaking trip (Vancouver island) in mind for trying it out.. who kows how warm or cool it will be!

Working backwards in time, Saturday evening I spent way too many hours making a simple pair of underwear! I discovered that the walking foot on the Juki machine is not the same as the walking foot for my Elna; it has a much wider opening, which means it does not catch the fabric on a narrow hem! Good to know! (See photo, guess which is which!)

When I made this version of the Myfit underwear beforem I found that the instructions for installing self-binding (legs and waist) were kind of missing, or unclear at best. So in the end I find it a sloppy finish:

I sew the band on right sides together at 3/8 inch (this is the given seam allowance), using a stretch stitch. Then I fold the band over the seam allowance, leaving a visible band on the outside, and leaving the band edge raw, zig-zag it in place. On my first run through I missed the edge in a number of spots, so for the other two bands I sewed this last step from the wrong side. It looks.... fine, but not polished. I might try 'fold over elastic' (FOE) in future; but really, I like just doing it this way so that I don't have to purchase any materials. I still have enough for more, and I may try the three-piece pattern, which will allow me to use even smaller scraps!