Pattern making

I first tried to draft my own patterns whilst we were living in India in part because I didn't have easy access to commercial patterns. I bought a couple of books, scoured the internet for tutorials, and soon realised that I actually enjoyed the process. It took longer to make a finished piece from start to finish but I found it to be very fulfilling. Besides, I often have to tweak commercial patterns to get a good fit anyway.

Now that I am back in the U.S., I have all kinds of commercial patterns in my possession but I still find myself wanting to draft my own. I've borrowed several books from the library and have been playing around with miniature sized blocks.

I'm not entirely sure where this process is going but I'd like to at least draft a basic pattern set for myself and see how that goes. So far I haven't spent as much time on it as I'd like but I'm going to try to work on it more.

In other news, I've finished quite a few sewing projects that I hope to write about soon, so stay tuned. In the meanwhile, enjoy the leap day!

Negroni muslin

I've been wanting to make a shirt for my husband ever since I learnt how to make buttonholes successfully. Our favourite tailor in India even made me a pattern but I just wasn't sure how to put it all together. Colette Patterns' Negroni shirt was all I needed to take the leap. With Peter's MPB Men's Shirt Sew-Along as a resource and Sarai's very good pattern instructions, I decided to make a muslin.

I was able to put all the pieces together! I traced and sewed the large size without any modifications. My feeling is that it is a tad too big. What do you think? Peter addresses a few fit issues on his blog, which is where I learnt about pivot points. The shoulder seam extends beyond my husband's pivot point. The shirt seems too large across the back yoke and the fabric creases under the arm. The shirt length and sleeve length look good, though.

For the next version of this shirt, I am going to trace a medium and make a few modifications. Mainly, I'll add length to the body and sleeves. I am also going to follow instructions to convert the camp style collar to a traditional collar and draft a button placket and facing. Wish me luck!

On the needles: Peabody

This pattern caught my eye when I was browsing the Jared Flood pattern binder at the local craft store. It's a simple stockinette sweater with a lace panel that keeps it interesting.

I'm using the tweedy yarn I picked up on our trip to Ireland last year. I've knit past the armholes and have finished the back since taking these photos but I'm a little worried I might run out of yarn. I have three hanks in total so I should have enough but we'll see.

Now, if only it would get cold enough to wear a cozy wool sweater...