Franken-Raglan

We needed more chicken feed, so I ran into town yesterday morning. I stopped at the quilt store south of town because it’s near the feed store, and they had just gotten in some QT Fabrics double-brushed poly. This really is the nicest DBP I’ve ever used. It’s not as thick as the DBP that Joanns sells. I bought some of this print:

(What is it with purple all of a sudden?)

This is destined to become Yet Another Laundry Day Tee, hopefully today.

I also stopped at Joanns—don’t ask me why, my car just turns into the parking lot on my way home—and ran into Robin. She had my birthday present in her car so she gave it to me:

It’s a chicken pin cushion! So cute! Pincushions are like seam rippers. One can never have too many of either.

When I got home, I ran up a muslin of my frankenpatterned raglan mashup. I used the turtleneck and upper bodice of the Toaster Sweater married to the tunic bottom of the Nancy Raglan:

The fabric is a chunk of (I think) rayon/poly doubleknit from the Walmart remnant rack in Camden, Tennessee. I wouldn’t call it a ponte, exactly, because it has a very subtle ribbed texture. (Think Eileen Fisher.) It is silky and drapey and was a dream to sew. When I put it on, it settled nicely on my shoulders. It’s the kind of top I can put on and not think about for the rest of the day, and that is the goal for my me-made clothing.

[I have run across quite a few sewists on YouTube who mention that they also buy apparel fabric from Walmart. Are you listening, Joann Fabrics Dollar Store Junk From China?]

I started packing for my trip. It is so gratifying to see how much of what I wear now is clothing I’ve made.

Packing for winter travel is so much more involved than packing for summer travel. I need a bigger suitcase because the clothes are bulkier, and I have to take shoes and boots and rain gear and snow gear because I am never sure what the weather will be like. I’ve got chains and traction pads in the car along with a snow brush and a blanket. I look like I am heading to Siberia.

My Fit for Knits book arrived yesterday and WOW, what a spectacular reference. It’s an inch thick—255 pages—with beautiful, clear illustrations and explanations of every type of garment, sleeve style, neckline, etc and how to alter them to fit. It’s all the more impressive because it is self-published, and you all know how I feel about self-published books. 😉