sewing handwovens

i fell short on the fulling so i've had to bind the edges of the bodice （´＿｀）.
don't know what got me because i have 7 mts of cloth i could have fulled it until the right consistency.
after the sewing's done i'll full it a bit more, have made allowances by cutting the pattern somewhat bigger.





my experience with handwovens mainly consisted of silks and being of  crispy nature
they did not pose any issues.
the wools were correctly fulled; live and learn.

this pattern looks like it was drafted having handwovens in mind. the skirt is made of 4 panels making it ideal for narrow fabrics.
this is the second or third time i make it
one being a commercial fabric, the other a machine knitted fabric gifted to me and this one.
i predict is is going to be slow sewing.




neki desu
 

sweatshop mode

aubergine light wool crepe from japan, the top pattern with a skirt added to make a dress. this one also has side pockets. 

i am in love with this one. same pattern,but it flows and hangs so well because it's a linen knit. also from tomato in tokyo.

so far i have sewn a pair of pants, a top and 3!! dresses.

have another top and the dress using my woven fabric and i'll close the sweatshop for this year.

neki desu
 

being prolific

spent lots and lots of time last week getting the frankon pattern together , making the muslin and adjusting it until it all worked.now i can replicate it ad nauseam.

fabric one already cut. it's a gorgeous light wool
crepe sourced in japan last april.fabric weight ideal for spring  or fall weather.

dress 2 already cut.another fabric full of gorgeousness this one's a linen knit.this one will be handy during spring and those cool summer nights. also great for the opera since opera theaters are chronically over heated.






everyone's crazy about japanese print fabrics, but in my opinion they have a lot more to offer. still have another linen knit to make something,but it's not clear what i want.











neki desu
 

frankon patterning

my favorite japanese pattern and my most pinned pin from my pinterest merged into one dress. a gorgeous wool voile sourced in tokyo will do the rest.

neki desu 
 

thrilled

struggled a whole week, but i am thrilled with the result.sewing a light machine woven piece is a drive uphill but the view from the top of the hill is worth it.

want to perfect the technique as i have kilos of extremely fine cashmere merino yarns.

i still can wear that in the spring here  and on the more than often chilly summer nights. gone are the strappy linens and cottons in the summer, one needs some warmth over the shoulders.

no japanese class today i have extra gifted time.the joys of catholic countries, always an unexpected saint or virgin day😎

neki desu
 

at war with a knitted collar

 sewing the top, piece of cake.knitting the collar was easy. adjusting it to the top's neckline might take the rest of the week. follow the saga because i will persevere and prevail.


neki desu
 

a vacay from the holidays

spent the whole time trekking,eating, trying to finish projects and studying japanese for the come back testo. the paper was handed back covered in red marks (╯︵╰,)

the franken dress came out fine after some fine tuning of the pattern. old patterns of the shoulder pads era  come out as shapeless drop shoulders and the top of the sleeve needs to be reshaped.the rest is ok.just needs the hem and it's ready.
had some left over fabric, a gorgeous wool voile sourced in tokyo.too little for pants just ok for this top.well not enough,enough as i will have to knit the collar. 'nother project to the pile.

neki desu
 

problem solving

another japanese pattern more sewing on the edge. this time the issues come from not enough fabric for the facing.have parked it pinned,but not cut until i come up with a solution. the fabric is a medium weight two sided knit. ideas??

 this saturday i enjoyed another night at the opera. this time it was tosca, one of my favorites.

it was set up in a modern totalitarian regime, slightly updating the original libretto.

the tenor was magnificent, the soprano high grade. one can only appreciate "la caballé" who had not only a portentous voice but was also graced with clear diction something uncommon.

neki desu
 

living on the edge

 

pants finished.more to come,but first a jacket.japanese patterns are easy to follow provided you know how to sew.i found the explanation of the elastic back somewhat puzzling, there are easier ways.
anyhow i'm going to make sensei happy today saying something and koto ga dekiru. that was the last lesson.going to try going fancier, linguistically speaking  (*^▽^*)

neki desu
 

clearing little bs

bought weights to add to  the hemline of this top. the back flared and it felt uncomfortable. what i mean by flare is that it rides up and kills the line.
since i had plenty of lead weights i also used some on this japanese cover up i bought in kyoto which also flared a tad in the back. mine's prettier (*^▽^*) because it's dark teal with mauve shibori dots.
after that and some other repairs i finally got down to cutting the pants.they are a very light wool fabric called nun's veil here, but unlike the one you get in the u.k it is not wool voile.
will have new pants for the winter.


neki desu
 

a tale

how the two and a half hour dress became a three day dress.
because ofthe sleeve bands that i wanted to coordinate with the hem and pockets.
ended up giving up.will have to live with it as is.
 gosh,those langelook dresses always look enormous.







neki desu
 

if too hot

one cuts and sews.nice striped linen paired with a dotted fabric. i am hacking two patterns to make a dress.this skirt with this dress. new clothes for my new life easy to wear and can be styled up or down. discovering fabric and notions stores in my new town

have a lot of sewing lined up.

neki desu
 

cut and sew

the knitting machine phagocyted 200 grams of wool, close to 1500 mts and didn't have a knitted  piece for starters. in weaving 1500 mts can produce a lot of yardage so is the nature of the beast.

thought about a color blocked sweater, but not even enough material.

i remembered a much loved knitted top and spent a week looking for it with the hope it had made the move along with me and twenty million other things.

YES found it so it was a matter of drawing the pattern. and now a chamomile tea to keep my hands from shaking as i cut the knitted fabric . it's half milano something akin to double knit so it can withstand cutting w/out disintegrating in ladders.

 a visiting friend from the states. we'll be going to the balenciaga museum in getaria and  also bilbao. back next week.

fun times expected; let the girlfriend tour begin.

neki desu
 

bye bye plastic bags forever

once i start sewing i can't stop.was looking for some kind of mesh to make produce shopping bags.
finally found the mesh ,although not as stiff as i wanted,but it was sourced locally.
on production mode making as many as the fabric i got allows.3mts wide!!x1 mt long.
tutorial here






neki desu
 

sourcing closures

one down. sewing this knit was not as difficult as expected.neither was the cutting part. i am honing my skills warming up for the two fine linen knits i have.
now looking for something like this but locally.





neki desu
 

at last

this babe has come around.i bought this pattern on my 014 trip to japan. i have already made the muslin to check the fit, but had width issues with the fabric i wove for it. it was liying around getting shuffled from one table to another if you know what i mean.
on this last trip to japan i went actively searching for fabric that i could use for it and came back home with a couple of candidates all knits, some double knits which are easier to work with.

here we go!  last week after i got the last 

parcel from japan i could begin to seriously

get to it.i had found the same fabric in tokyo  which was very cool because i needed an extra meter. going on the safe side i got two!

going to use the back  a nice denim like knit

to make the  neck facing as an outside band and turned hems at the sleeves.

it's going to be for spring and fall wear, those intermediate months too warm for  wool too cool for just a long sleeved top.

trembling nonetheless because cutting and sewing with knits is not easy.

neki desu

 

of cloth

cotton double knit

four years ago  on my previous trip to japan  i discovered  many things one of them that the japanese have a powerful vibrant fabric industry. not only is their handmade cloth exeptional, but also their industrial woven cloth is beautiful,innovative and well designed.

this time i made a point of spending time in nippori in tokyo after visiting some stores in kyoto.

cotton double knit

                                                                                   

linen knit

                                                                                                                                                    have never seen such a variety of great looking knitted fabric in all materials. went wild with the linen knits and bought about 3 and that was being very judicious.

the cottons are a bit heavy, great for jackets for the oviedo weather.

the linens, still waiting for two, will be floaty langelook dresess.                                               lots of sewing ahead, but waiting for the boxes with the patterns and  all the sewing (tools?) doohickeys i bought. another field day at 
customs for the officials!                                                                                                                                                         

                                                                                                         

                                                                                                          

 neki desu

the muslin

feeling smug because i was able to follow the japanese pattern instructions. just a couple of terms that google helped with.

but on the other hand being realistic  if you know how to sew japanese patterns are pretty easy to follow.

think i'm going to sew this number numerous times as it meets almost all requirements: easy, stylish and can be dressed up or down.

as japanese sizes are iffy i added one cm to the seams and it fits well. the pattern is medium but i could go up to large and avoid the addition.

now let's see what fabric from the stash i can use.waiting for the japanese fabric booty to arrive, but it's going to be a long wait bcse i sent all surface mail. daijobou as i told the people at the post office: don't worry i can wait.

neki desu

of japanese patterns

one of the fun things i did in tokyo was to visit the nippori fabric town about 1.5kms of textile extravaganza.  many foreign ladies, some of them dragging their suffering husbands going on a fabric o.d. not to mention  those passing glances that recognized the sisterhood and the bags that validated it.

easy because the choice,quality and prices are unbeatable, better than london if you get my drift. 

i bought fabric, but in a controlled way only  succumbing to linen knits ,which never in my life, i had seen such variety.

notions were also hard to resist. all kinds of doohickeys you didn't know existed, but make sewing easier. then trims,needles, marking pens the list goes on. 

a  mention about the japanese pattern department. sizes can be tricky because japanese women are small and a large can not always mean our large.but the styles are simple and stylish.

this line of patterns which i indulged  are a bit more expensive than the regular lines but it really pays.

first they are pre cut, you just loosen them from the paper.

then the paperstock is nice and heavy like  plotter

paper. 

also you don't have to trace the pattern which entails more  paper, pens and lots of patience finding your way in the maze of lines and sizes.

the instructions  are both sides of a paper and come in a plastic sleeve so one really needn't handle them.
and last but not least the pattern sleeve is big enough to hold the cut pattern. i have gone  the whole nine yards trying to fit an already cut pattern into its sleeve and to my frustration it always rips the sides of the envelope.

 ok instructions are evidently in japanese, but if one is relatively  sewing experienced  it's no big deal. and there's always google translate. point the phone camera and off you go. don't take the results literal though. ｡^‿^｡





neki desu

and the beat goes on and on

this morning. the park was glorious.lots of people strolling under the snow and having a childhood time.



came back to finish my sewing. have to hem it
and source the buttons.haven't seen anything
appealing so far.the trade offs of leaving a big city.









neki desu