A Shirt is Coming Alive

It is cool, clear and calm this morning. The forecast is calling for flurries so we wait and see what Mother Nature brings us. 

Lifestyle

Housework was minimal yesterday as I wanted to sew and think. I also spent time on the puzzle with the Spousal Unit. I got a piece sorted out for him and it took me a while to do it. 

Health

I've tried everything to break this plateau and I'm still on it. It is frustrating but I need to remind myself it will break. Today will be minimal eating day to see if that helps. 

Sewing

I headed down to the sewing room early to sew and think. I worked on the shirt itself and found a small error. I have to trace one piece again as I have two sizes on it. Once I got the shirt sewn to the shoulder seams, I worked on the yoke. 

I got some issues worked out on it and really like how it looks. A bit blah but I knew the piping would help it out. I made 4 meters of piping and started to put it on the yokes. 

It certainly changed the appearance of the shirt and the piping becomes the focal point. I've been sewing doll clothes for too long and tried to sew the yokes down on the very edge. I really don't need to move the needle over to get it close. I also did a second row of stitching but it doesn't show as the thread is the same color as the fabric. 

The back yoke. 

Next up is to interface the front bands and collar pieces. I'm ready to tackle that part today. 
While sewing, I thought a lot about fabrics, the part I'm studying in Design Academy. One of the comments was about using cotton and moving away from it if we want to make realistic looking clothing. How true that is. Cotton has its time and place. I will use up mine appropriately even if it is my go to fabric. And, a lot of the patterns I test call for cotton. It seems to be everyone's fabric choice. 
With the dolls, I have been struggling with knits. They stretch out of shape. I'm digging out a piece of knit I have that is scraps from a friend's project. I am going to cut out the pattern I have modified and sew it up using paper underneath to see if it stretches out of shape. Another trial version of the pattern. 

Knitting

I spent some time knitting on the second sock. It is coming along well. I will keep at it on a daily basis so I can finish it up this month. 

Today

The goal is to do the front bands and collar on the shirt and fool around with the t-shirt for the dolls. I also need to write up color and think about what I want to put in my design book. I also have to think about fabric choices to put in my book also. The goal is to move away from using only cotton fabrics. Conquering knits is my other goal. 
Until the next time..............................