Last regular update for 2010?

Hi, everyone! I thought I'd just keep on blogging like normal, just in case you get the opportunity to read some blogs in this busy time of year ;)

To give you a bit of an update:

I made the shirt sloper for J (my younger brother) and, for the first time ever, it let me down. I think it may have more to do with J's skeleton-with-strong-muscles built, than with the sloper set-up or my rendition of it. Anyway, the sloper didn't fit at all, so I've got my work cut out.

And I should get started on that sooner rather than later because I will see him again on mum's birthday... tomorrow.

I have been sewing, but am still not very productive. Maybe I should stop reading history books, but I'm enjoying that too. And E being off work this week doesn't help either, of course ;)

I have made a well-considered cardigan, and found something to do with the 'too small for a t-shirt, too big to throw out' bits of jersey.

The cardigan requires a bit of explanation. Last year, and the year before, I have made some cardigans in interesting shapes from various thick knits (I think there are 4 in total). They usually started out more as shape-experiments or just as 'this would look nice in that fabric'. Rather than to fill an empty space in my wardrobe. Because it looks nice, many had short or three quarter length sleeves. Nice, but not very practical in thick knits...

I found myself liking them, but mostly wearing a rather plain short black cardi which was refashioned from a V-neck sweater ages ago. Just for sleeve length in what is still, despite the fact that the snow is now melting slowly but steadily, a rather cold winter.

Finally planning, I made this cardi from a woven cooked wool from stash (Oops, the pictures turned out a bit blurry). I've had this stuff for a year and it was dangerously hovering on the edge of 'I don't dare to cut into this' territory. As a woven, it doesn't stretch on the straight grain, but at any kind of angle, it does. I cut the cardigan on the biais which makes this fabric behave like a similar weight knit (of course, all plain weave fabrics will stretch when cut on the biais, but usually they shift and stretch in a way which is hard to control and makes the fabric very drapy).

It's a pattern I made myself. It has kimono sleeves, a deep V-neck and a waistband which is higher at center front and closes with three buttons from grandma's button jar. It is nice and warm and will (because of the roomy sleeve shape) work over tank tops as well as over tops with sleeves.

The solution for jersey 'not-quite' scraps is to make camisoles. Using fold-over elastic for the edges as straps, and stretch lace to make them look cute. I know panties would use up much smaller scraps, but right, I need these more.

And finally, I guess I should do some sort of end-of-year round-up or at least react to some very useful comments and try to reach a conclusion on the issue of the stretch velvet dress. I haven't forgotten, but I have yet to decide what to do...