Yesterday I finished the flannel shirt for my October wardrobe piece (6PAC + YLWC*). This is one of several attempts currently underway to sort of some kind pattern for a woven fabric top, my perennial and many years long challenge... It is quite cozy and comfortable (even a bit loose, as I have lost some weight in the last several months) and will look well with most of my pinafores, and can also layer a turtleneck knit top underneath when it is really cold. I am quite pleased with the collar shape, given how simple this was to put together. The rounded lapel and collar ends are echoed in the very slightly rounded sleeve ends, which rather than a button cuff are simply pleated into a fixed narrow band.
My next attempt at a woven top will be based on my everyday dress, which has a bias cut front and narrower shoulders, it will be interesting to compare the results
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Sigh, persimmon ketchup is a fail... compost without guilt. I am not sure if persimmons are unsuited to substitute for tomatoes, or if the recipe from Food In Jars called for too much clove for my preference, or if simmering it overnight in the crockpot was a mistake... The result tasted vaguely like pumpkin pie, but then made my mouth numb, which was quite alarming until I remembered that cloves do that, and that I was not about to go into anaphylactic shock! OTOH, the dehydrated persimmons seem like they will make good treats for folks, and certainly will likely store well in the pantry
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thinking about a new black denim tote bag, possibly based on the concept of the knitters backpack, a tote bag being the other October YLWC piece that I could really use; and finding yarn to knit fingers onto one of my pairs of log cabin mitts from last year, to create gloves (gloves, a cowl, and possibly finishing up my rain capelet being the pieces from November YLWC that I have planned...
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November SMART goals (x=extra)
| # | THINGS MADE | THINGS FIXED | THINGS GONE |
| 1 | Thora gown | Earthboxes filled | bag to Goodwill |
| 2 | Isabel gown | woodchips moved | 8# persimmons |
| 3 | chookhouse base | EF cardigan refashion | - |
| 4 | dried persimmons | harvested persimmons | - |
| 5 | x | x | - |
| 6 | x | x | - |
| 7 | x | x | - |
| 8 | x | x | x |
| 9 | x | x | x |
| 10 | x | x | x |
| 11 | x | x | x |
| 12 | x | x | x |
| 13 | x | x | x |
| 14 | x | x | x |
| 15 | x | x | x |
*YLWC = Year Long Wardrobe Challenge
Too bad about all that work with the persimmons! I fear my palate would be unable to appreciate a ketchup with cloves. I relish (haha) all manner of sweet and sour chutneys and fruit sauces, but somehow the idea of cloves doesn't quite fit. It reminds me of a long-ago dinner at a friend's house--she served spaghetti with a red sauce, heavily seasoned with cinnamon! I had never heard of or tasted that before, and thankfully never have since.
ReplyDeleteI really like the rounded collar on your shirt - did you draft it that way, or was the collar part of the original pattern? A very nice change from the usual long pointy shirt collar.
I was just following the recipe... very sad. I have had savory dishes with some cinnamon in the spicing, usually things of Middle Eastern, or Indian, cuisine, where it was part of the whole combination of spices and not the primary flavoring.
DeleteThe original shirt that this pattern was drawn from was, as far as I can remember, actually a flannel pyjama shirt that my Mom gave me years ago when I had hand surgery and needed something that didn't constrict my bandages and I could put on and take off using one hand. I'm not sure if the original had rounded or pointed collar tips and lapel, but I prefer the rounded ends. Changing the shape of lapel and collar tips is probably one of the very easiest of pattern alterations to do, and it also makes all that much easier to sew! In "The Triumph of Individual Style" the author talks about choosing to echo ones own personal colors and shapes in various ways in our wardrobe. I am rounded in shape, and have low contrast coloring, and so I feel like the slight rounding of the collar lines works well for me.
Bummer about the persimmons, but nice that you can salvage the rest by drying for future consumption.
ReplyDeleteLOVE your flannel shirt/pinafore combo in brown. That color just looks so cozy and just right for coolish, damp weather. Nice job! I agree with your reasoning on the rounded collar and think I'll make that adjustment for my shirts, too, as I also have many rounded edges ;-)
Aw thank you... I would encourage you to try the round edges on your collar, and I'd love to see a photo if you do...
DeleteLove the colours of your pinafore
ReplyDelete