Saturday, July 7, 2018

Summer sewing

What summer sewing have you been up to? A bit of quilting or something less hot? Here in Louisiana the temps and humidity are so high that I've been focusing on smaller items. Most of those have been for the grands, but I did get out a pattern and sewed up a top for myself. 
It's not exactly my style, but then it's not a regular tee. I really like loose, soft tee shirts. I had to dress up in heels and dressy clothes enough while teaching that I want to wear light, loose-fitting, comfortable clothes. Right now those are shorts and tees. 

But there are times when I need something a little less comfy. That's when I resort to capris and fitted tees. While cleaning out a few boxes in the studio, I discovered this summer print knit. It didn't take long to cut out and put together. Truthfully, I don't like the fit but I think I'll give it another try should I find more knit hanging out in a box. 


Otherwise the sewing I've been doing consists of making shorts and summer clothes for the grandkids. The 8-year-olds love the elastic waist short that I zip together in a few minutes. Usually I cut out several shorts at a time. 

Lately I've been making them in solid colors so the girls can mix and match these with tees. 


At some point I decided to add a few details. The shorts went from quick and easy sewing to something else entirely. Those decorative top stitches on every seam add to the making, but they also make the shorts cute and help them to last longer. 
All I did was sew up the shorts then turn them right side out and run a top-stitch right next to the seam turning the seam allowance to one side so it gets caught in the top-stitching. When making the hem, I stitched two lines only a small distance from each other. Then it's time for the casing and elastic and done!

What sewing have you been up to? Small, light stuff or quilts?

Finally, I have another "improv and metacognition" article on the AHIQ blog. Go by if you feel a bit like thinking through your quilting or if you want to see what others are discovering as we go along.

1 comment:

Kaja said...

I'm still making quilts, though now you have me thinking about shorts! I think your t shirt looks lovely.