"Owl Eyes on You" Hat in my store

This pattern, over a year in the designing (that happens sometimes), is finally done. Inspired by the challenge of getting a seamless, one-piece toque in a rectangular shape to make it simple to create "owl ears", this two-tone topper will look adorable on the little man or lady in your life!

I had extra fun making these, as I got to use some vintage buttons bequeathed to me by my grandma, which she had salvaged off of old coats.

You can find this pattern in my shop at www.mysecretwish.ca.

Lucy Pevensie Tam in the store

At long last, I finally got a knitting pattern into my Etsy store. You can find this at www.mysecretwish.ca.

Who wouldn't feel like a princess in this adorable tam? Or even a queen?

I have actually made another hat in the largest size for myself, but am too impatient to wait until I get good photos taken of it before I put this in the store. I will add those photos later.

So, here it is, in all its glory: the Lucy Pevensie Tam! You can also find it on Ravelry here. Go check it out. And then buy it. :-)

Here is the tam being modelled by the adorable Zoe.

 

Lessons Learned?

So, I've been working on slopers for my new designs--specifically, for an empire-waisted simple silhouette, meant to flatter many body types and to be the base for summer dresses, evening wear, shirts, and more.

I am putting together a maxi dress with the slopers using a cotton lawn lining and some very pretty fabric I found in the Bargain Bin, even if it is polyester-cotton. (I detest polyester.) The weight and drape are similar to the fabrics I will eventually be using to make my actual product, and the price was definitely right at $2.99/m.

Since this is one of my first designs, and I am not horribly experienced with making patterns "from scratch" yet, I have had the expected amount of ripping out, redoing, and redesigning.

What I wish I could get over, though, was that yesterday I insisted on making rookie sewing mistakes, over and over.

Like sewing a bodice together with the inside of the darts on the outside.

Rip, rip, rip...

Or forgetting to pin up all my under-bust gathers before I start sewing the bodice to the skirt. Pinning them after you have begun to sew, with fabric under the needle, is not nearly as easy as before!

The last mistake, which told me it was definitely time to go to bed, was when I finally started sewing the overdress fabric together. After doing one full seam (a good 1.5 m long) and starting on the next one, it seemed to me that I was actually sewing the wrong sides of the fabric together. Doh!

I only had about 10 cm. of stitching done on the second one, so there I was again:

Rip, rip, rip...

After getting it apart, and examining it closely from all angles, I decided that both sides of the fabric looked exactly the same. While I had wasted a little bit of time ripping out that short amount of stitching, I was really, really glad that I had not ripped out the first seam, as well!

The fabric is a fairly sheer burn-out, with daisy detailing and splotches of golden and tawny colour on a creamy background. (I'll post photos soon.) Even though this is a "mock-up", I am confident that it will be pretty enough for me to wear when it is done.

And I have decided that I LOVE working with cotton lawn. It so sheer and light-weight and fine. Positively delightful. (This is my first experience with it, other than in purchased, ready-to-wear clothing.)

Maybe today, I can finish this dress--without any more ripping-out of rookie mistakes. Because, despite the fact that I am fairly new to pattern drafting from scratch, I have been sewing for twenty-five years. That's enough time to out-grow being a rookie... isn't it?