Super Stretchy

Here’s another outfit for my hot ‘n cold office.  I’ve had this cardy pattern in the stash for a while and was eager to give it a whirl.  I used a very inexpensive (less than $2 per yard) mystery fabric from Fabrix.  It is a super-stretchy lycra blend that’s quite spongy and doesn’t have a great recovery.  It has an embossed floral pattern—slightly raised and a wee bit lighter than the vanilla background.  As usual, I was aiming for a wearable muslin. 

I like the look of longer outer layers, and I think I can carry them off because of my height.  So, for this cardigan (McCall’s 5978, view A/B) I added 10” inches in length so that it hits me mid-thigh (my camera died before I was able to get a full-length photo).  I made the ¾ length sleeves, but none of the suggested embellishments.  The fabric was kind of easy to sew; that is, it didn’t skitter around, but its sponginess made it a little too thick for the facings, and the shell’s armscyes stretched out a lot.  My usual M.O. is to steam/iron recalcitrant fabric into submission, but this fabric didn’t want to cooperate.  At the price, I can live with it.  My sample buttonholes didn’t turn out well in this fabric, so I decided to forego them.  I plan to wear the cardigan open for a nice long line and will be wearing a chunky necklace, so the buttons might’ve been a little too busy with it anyway.

I also made a matching shell using my TNT pattern, Kwik Sew 3740, with self binding at the neck.  No problems except for the stretched out armscyes which I expect will go back to the intended shape once I’ve washed it.  Both pieces were hemmed on the coverstitch.

With this twinset, I plan to wear brown straight-legged pants that I made by tracing a favorite pair of RTW slacks.  They have an elastic waist—I know, I know, but I like elastic waists, and since the waist is covered by the shell, so what?  The fabric is a lightweight suiting that I purchased several years ago from JoAnn’s.  It is chocolaty brown with reddish brown threads in the weft. 

Something you probably don’t know about me is that I like to mix higher-end with lower-end items.  Actually, I hope they all look high-end!  I figure, why spend a lot of moolah on trendy pieces that’ll probably go out of style after a season?  Hence, I purchase a lot of jewelry at WalMart, Target, thrift stores, and the like.  I also make some of my own necklaces.  As for shoes, my closet runs the gamut of price points.  For this outfit, I’ll be wearing a bronzey/coppery chunky necklace from Target (shown in the photo), paired with bronze pointy-toed flats also from Target, and my Louis Vuitton purse in the classic brown monogram leather.  I think they all play well together.   (P.S.  I consider my 7-year-old LV bag an “investment”—at least that’s how I rationalize it.  Plus, someday, hopefully a long, long, long, long, long time from now, it will be my DD’s.)

Shoe love:  Perfect for a night on the town, I love these black peau de soie Nina slingbacks with a kitten heel.  For me, a kitten heel means I’m less likely to fall on my face (still no guarantee!) and less likely to have blistered toes by the end of the night.




Happy sewing! ~ Peggy