What I Made During My Summer Vacay Part 2: Archer Short Sleeves

Oy! What strange weather we've had here this year. Japan has a rainy season in June that transitions us into summer, and it looks like our transition into fall will also start with rain in the form of a typhoon. Amidst this rainy week, I give you part 2 of my summer sewing: my 2nd Archer shirt.

Finally making a sweet repeat of a pattern. I have to say, it was A LOT faster to make it the second time around. I debated on adding colored buttons to accent the stripes but felt it looked like a grandpa's pajama top. I got lucky and went to a craft store closing sale and found a dozen more boring but suitable opal buttons for 50 yen!

Sewing another Archer means I added skill points to my collar making ability.

I'm not one for popped collars, but I loved how the stripes lined up on the under collar. The sleeves were not special modifications: I used the original long sleeve pattern piece trimmed.

Here I am wearing my comfy Archer! In spite of the humidity I wanted to show off the wave 'fro on my head. The shirt looks wrinkled in all the pictures... it's the fabric! I believe it's a cotton crepe. I found it in a summer fabric bin with a mountain of seersucker. The stripes reminded me of a RTW button shirt I used to borrow from my mum. I'm a little hung up on stripes lately, as you can see. I also have a love for relaxed fit clothes. I can drool over all the lovely dress patterns, but I've always been a bit of a tomboy so dresses aren't very high on my to-sew list. I can see this shirt working well into my rotation, perhaps belted with a cardigan or under a sweater in the cooler season. 

I've got one more summer report to post: a wee post about (non-sewing) crafts I did. Check back soon!

What I Made During My Summer Vacay Part 1: Datura Blouse

Finally, some finished projects! This is one of the pieces I wore in Yokohama but didn't photograph, so sorry I don't make an appearance in any pictures. Honestly, it's a bit hard to style it... it doesn't really mesh with my wardrobe but I'm still glad I made it. This is Deer & Doe's Datura blouse pattern.

Front. This was my first time making my own bias tape to finish the bottom and love it! I'm pretty sure the pattern meant for the bias tape to be hidden with the seam inside the top, but I don't mind it adding a bit of trim interest to the bottom.

Back. The fabric was some cheap printed cotton I found intriguing and was going to stash.

I sewed my buttons on weird. Oops.

I love how clean it came together with the edges neatly encased in the double yoke.

Here's the pattern. It's by Deer & Doe, a lovely French pattern company. I chose to omit the collar on mine but one of the real details that initially caught my eye was the triangular cutout neckline version. My next version will be this one. I highly recommend this pattern. It is listed as intermediate in skill, but it wasn't too difficult for a beginner like me. The only bump I ran into was the lack of directions. The pattern doesn't hold your hand through the process, but it to the point and not complicated. It's a great pattern to play with fun prints and multiple fabrics, even though I stayed tame with my version.

Part 2 is up next... See you soon!

A New Japanese Sewing Book

I picked up a new Japanese sewing book recently. This one is easy sewing clothes in straight stitches. No patterns are needed, because the pieces used are simple square shapes (with dimensions and sizing provided). The dress on the cover caught my attention with its cute gathered shoulders.

This giant bow top also caught my eye, but I don't think it would look terribly flattering on myself. Perhaps with a smaller bow...

I liked the simplicity of this inverted pleat skirt with front pockets. At first glance, I thought they were long shorts because of the left picture.

Japanese sewing books seem to be geared to the younger crowd who like the cute, natural, and relaxed style that has been popular here in recent years. I'm a fan of the style myself, but sometimes I feel my age when I see things like this:

No way I could get away with something like this. Not only does it seem too young in style for myself, but my top and bottom are not the same size in order to turn a dress into a skirt.

I really like this dress with the pleating in the front. Summer isn't over yet, although I do need to start anticipating Fall.

I'm not sure if I'll be adding any of these projects to my queue but these are definitely fast and easy pieces that could be done on a whim during a day off, not to mention I find inspiration from the styles.

I finished a new project this week I need to get pictures of and post, and I'm nearly finished with another Archer shirt, this one a Summer-y version. Tomorrow I'm off for a much needed trip to Yokohama for the Obon holiday weekend, crossing off another prefecture or two on my "prefectures visited" map. 

Have a peachy weekend everyone!

Fit for Real People and the Body Graph

Hey everyone! Are you keeping cool in this hot summer weather?

I've been chillin' on my summer vacation for about a week now, dividing my time between addictive gaming on Animal Crossing: New Leaf (if you play, friends code please!), studying Japanese, and working on my Hawthorn bodice muslin.

My Hawthorn has been a challenge in fitting. I'm still a beginner sewist with limited knowledge on fitting to my body. Up until this point, I haven't made a lot of form-fitting clothing, since loose and roomy is more my style (especially in the summer!). I took a step back from my test Hawthorn and decided I needed to really study more about fitting myself and altering patterns to fit me well. Yesterday, I pulled out my handy copy of Fit for Real People and finally did the body graph exercise I bookmarked ages ago.

The body graph is an outline of your body that helps you identify your proportions and shape. You've probably heard body shapes categorized as "hourglass," "pear," "apple," etc. (What is with all the fruits?) Body graphs help you determine your shape and body proportions. To do this, you tape some tracing paper to the wall and have someone trace you. Then, you fold the drawing into 8 equal parts, since the average person is eight heads tall. Next, you compare where certain parts of your body fall within these 8 parts to get an idea what is short, long, and average in proportion. The book Fit for Real People explains the process completely and provides you with a handy chart to fill out with your measurements.

Do you want to see my body graph? I cringed to see my shape drawn on paper in actual size, but it wasn't that bad, and I was surprised what I learned about it. Excuse the frankensteined tracing and copier paper... I ran out of tracing paper.

What was I surprised about with Paper Ashley? Well, I always thought I was a pear shape and my shoulders were smaller than my hips... nope! I'm an hourglass, in spite of my junk in the trunk. I always thought my waist was high too, but I'm a bit long-waisted. My upper legs are short but my lower legs are average size. My shoulders are sloped but I already knew that, since I sometimes fight to keep purses hung on my shoulder. Finally, I learned my husband tracing volunteer is a terrible artist: you can't see it well, but he traced my head quite narrow, like a pencil eraser. I went back and used my best judgement to give myself a proper head on my shoulders.

Overall, this body graph gives me a better idea of my shape, and what I may have to lengthen, shorten, and alter on patterns. I highly recommend this book, especially if you want to learn how to get a good fit for yourself! This body graph was also an exercise in accepting myself, and the more I sew, the more I learn to accept my body. There's nothing like the confidence boost of wearing a one-of-a-kind outfit that fits you well and looks fabulous!

I'm hoping to take a Craftsy class to get a bit of practice in pattern fitting, but otherwise I'm teaching myself using trial and error and the Fit for Real People book. 

For my fellow sewists out there, how did you learn to fit, and what's your typical process?

P.S. Like my new blog banner? Lots of love to my lil sis Mae for it!

So You Think You Can Sew

Hi guys and gals, how was your weekend?
Sorry it's been quiet from me!
I've been madly trying to work on my Bombshell swimsuit, but it seems I'm cursed. I don't think I'll ever complete a sew-along on time... I work at my own pace and sometimes struggle too much to be on a schedule. For the Bombshell, I hit the snag of the fact my sewing machine refused to sew stretchy material correctly.

 I ended up having to order a walking foot online (which works like a dream, might I add) and it dashed my hopes of staying on the sew-along schedule. Not wanting to give up on participating in a sew-along, I resigned myself to give up on getting the Bombshell done on time and looked forward to the Hawthorn Sewalong being done by Colette. I have a golden rule not to start a project without finishing the one I'm working on though, so it looks like I'm out on Hawthorn also.
I shouldn't be so hard on myself, but I'm such a slow sewist! Plus, I have other interests that greatly distract me (I bought a 3DS last week, for one). My sewing queue is growing, which is probably a good thing with my upcoming summer vacation. The sewing blogging community is both a good and bad influence. I find so much inspiration from it, yet other times it can be like the friend you take shopping and tells you to buy everything that piques your interest, even if you don't know if it will work for you and you're on the fence. This is why my list of things to sew is growing! I'm looking forward to having things to do during my summer break at least.
How about you? What do you have planned for summer?

BBQs and Bombshells

How was your weekend?
Mine was packed with excitement, that's for sure. On Sunday, the local English teachers and their families got together for a bbq. Cold beer and drinks were plentiful, and it was a free-for-all buffet of meat and cut veggies on the grill. The sun was scorching, so the water felt wonderful and cool. Fun times were had by all, even after my little mishap. Yes, I had a mishap. I was cutting veggies for the grill and was using a paper plate as a cutting board, and I unfortunately slipped and cut into 2 of my fingers pretty well. Today I'm walking around with a gauzed up finger that reminds me of E.T.'s. Instead of showing the gore and the battle scars, I'll show a fun picture instead.

I'm ducking behind my friend in orange. You might have noted something different about me in this picture: last week I also chopped off all my hair, which has been a welcome change. No more failing to do my hair and throwing it into a ponytail instead. I must have been born without that gene to be creative with my hair... I can barely braid it. Thus, embracing my curly waves in a messy short look is perfect for me. My hair was down to my elbows, and even in a high ponytail it still hung on my neck and back, making me hot. Summer's heat is here and the humidity is my enemy. While I love long luscious waves of hair and cute short bangs, I can't handle them in Japan's especially brutal summer.

I'm working on getting my sewing groove back by taking on something I thought I would never attempt... something that I never feel comfortable in but hoping to change with this new challenge: a swimsuit. Have you seen this new pattern?

From Closet Case Files

I love the vintage and modest look of the bombshell swimsuit, yet it makes one pieces incredibly fun and sexy. I've been having a tough time gathering materials to make this here, but I'm hoping to catch up and participate in the sew-along.

I'll have to arrange for another bbq after I make this swimsuit. Next time I'll have someone else handle the food preparation though!

Paper Cranes, Tsukemen, and a Sorbetto

This week my schools have been hectic. Every year my students visit the Atomic Bomb Dome and Peace Park in Hiroshima as a field trip, and they offer chains of 1,000 paper cranes there as symbol of their wish for peace. The big schools have no problems rallying 350 students to make a few cranes each, but for the smaller schools, it poses a challenge. I buckled down and helped my 6 student school make cranes. As you can see, I got a little bored and started arranging them.

They fell like dominoes a few times.

The rainy season has started here almost 2 weeks early, and it's really warmed up. The nabe pot has been put away for next year and last weekend we made our first batch of tsukemen: chilled noodles with boiled veggies and pork that you dip in a spicy sesame broth.

I've been in a bit of a sewing funk and can't decide what to make next. There's plenty of fabric and patterns I want, but I just can't seem to find the inspirational spark to put together my ideas, design, and create it. I started making a simple (and might I add awesomely free from Colette) Sorbetto top out of some cheap cotton I bought at a closing sale, but even now I can't decide whether or not to add sleeves.

I am in such a huge ol' funk but maybe something will come along and be my muse. It's been a tiring week at school and I'm hoping our trip to Niigata this weekend will be what I need! Are you looking forward to the weekend also?

Archer Shirt

It's finished! I was a little daunted at sewing plackets, cuffs, and a collar with a stand (heck, I didn't even know what some of those were until I made this), but I managed it without too many issues. This is my Archer Shirt, a pattern by Grainline Studio. The pattern is a roomy button-up shirt, and like the Mathilde, I didn't bother to make any major adjustments. I want to sew pretty things, but my outfit choices lean towards comfy. I was attracted to this pattern because of the pretty gathered detail in the back, which gives a plain button down shirt a bit of a feminine touch.
The fabric I used was super cheap and probably more suited for making muslins instead of actual shirts. I didn't notice until laying it out to cut that there was a handful of small blemishes in the fabric itself. Knowing this was my first shot at making a collared button shirt, I spent no time regretting my choice in cloth, though. I'm happy with how it turned out because it's fun to wear.

Seems like lately there's a trend to make shirts like mullets: short in front and long in the back. I am totally on board with this.

The gathered back makes it lovely, right?

I fudged the collar and re-did it a dozen times, but it looks pretty good.

I threw it on over a tank top and put a belt on to give it a bit of waist definition. The sleeves are a tad long. I ended up rolling them up anyway because it was a toasty day.

Now that my Archer's done, I'm not sure what to make next. On Friday I bought Victory's Ava pattern, but I'm having a hard time designing it and finding inspiration. I might make something quick and easy from that sewing book I posted in my last post here. I'm a bit of a slow sewer, and I've considered *gulp* joining a sewalong in order to keep myself at a steady pace and connect with other sewists who will be doing the same challenge. Oh the possibilities! One thing's for sure: I'll be inching closer to making my own awesome and unique wardrobe (that I hopefully won't be shy to show off in my travel photos).

My Mathilde Blouse

I'm finally blogging about it, my Mathilde Blouse. I love the details of it: the tucks, the back buttons, the Paris antique map cotton print I used.

I'm still learning how to fit and adjust, and this blouse is an easy relaxed fit, so the only adjustment I made this time was grading a size up from the bust to the waist. Next time I'd like to try to change up the sleeves, because they seemed extra poofy and the style isn't exactly my usual taste. I'd like to make it a tad longer, and try a FBA to get rid of the gapping at the neckline. Overall though, I'm pretty happy with the fit. I was worried it wouldn't look flattering on a curvy girl like me, but I like it.

Sorry for the lack of proper photos... I wore it today to school with a sweater over it. I'm really shy about wearing my creations still, since I'm very much a beginner. Embarrassingly, I had a button slipping off during my first time wearing it, and I re-sewed all the buttons back on strongly (re: paranoid).

I was really excited when some of my second years came up to me today and when they saw my blouse, they instantly recalled our recently studied topic of giving directions. I got a chorus of "how can I get to~?" and I pointed out some of the famous Paris landmarks on it.

Poppies, Jambalaya, Summer Sewing, and My Next Trip

Hi there!
Last week I came down with a cold bug I picked up after volunteering in a beach cleanup on Mother's Day so I've felt under the weather. A seasonal change virus has been going around. At least I got to enjoy most of my weekend time!
The poppies are in bloom and looking lovely. I can never resist taking pictures of flowers.

In a grocery store, I randomly stumbled upon a seasoning to make jambalaya in a rice cooker. Having never seen any form of creole cuisine here and intrigued by the Japanese take of this dish, I immediately bought it and tried it. It was amazing. If I manage to find it in the store again, I will be hoarding it.

Over this past weekend I snooped through the new stock of summer sewing books and quarterlies at my local bookstore. I have a hot and cold love of Japanese sewing books: some are amazing and utterly unique, other times I feel I'm sifting through the same looks over and over. I picked up this new book of summer clothing pieces you can make in a day.

As usual, it's a Japanese sewing book geared towards younger women with beginning sewing skills that has simple and flowy shirts with cute details like peter pan collars.

I'm not usually impressed by how many of these baggy shirts look alike in style and do little to flatter.

But in this case, a few styles look very cool for summer. It gets broiling hot and humid here, so some of these look incredibly comfortable. A few caught my eye in design too, like this cape-sleeved blouse.

I might be making myself a bunch of airy knit dresses like this too.

I'm about halfway finished with my Archer shirt. I want to get it done before it gets hot and I lose motivation to make a long-sleeved shirt. Next on my sewing table will definitely be something more summer-y.

In travel news, the hubby and I have been looking for a trip and decided to tick another prefecture off our map soon. We'll be checking out Niigata prefecture in June as a sort of "Japan wedding 1 year anniversary" trip. It's getting more and more difficult to plan trips to new prefectures. There's not a lot of attractions in northern Japan besides the nice scenery and good foods, so it's far and expensive for us to travel, as I've mentioned before. I have nothing against the Tohoku region... I want to visit! Also on my list of places to go is tropical Okinawa and Yokohama to check out the ramen museum. Maybe during the summer!

Golden Week 2013 in Kagawa and Tokushima

Over the long weekend the hubby and I took a day trip down to Shikoku, to the prefectures of Tokushima and Kagawa. We've been to these prefectures before, so there's nowhere new to check off our "prefectures visited" Japan map, but we had a great time seeing new things there.
First up we went to the Kazurabashi vine bridge in Tokushima.

This bridge was not for those afraid of heights. The bridge itself is a bit difficult to cross without holding onto the sides, and this is why:

We also enjoyed a boat ride down the Obokekyo Canyon:

In this heavily forested canyon area was an interesting tourist spot on the side of a cliff by a narrow winding mountain road. Local signs labeled it in English as everything from the "peeing boy" to the "pissing cupid" statue. Either one is accurate, I suppose:

After enjoying the lovely nature of Tokushima, we headed to Kagawa to see Konpirasan Shrine and the surrounding area. Little did I know I would have to climb a winding 1,400 steps to get to this shrine on the top of a hill. At least the scenery was nice:

After such an exhausting trek, we rewarded ourselves with delicious food. Kagawa is famous for udon, and its nickname is "udon prefecture." It lived up to the name with wonderful udon, which I ate with an onsen egg:

I also had to buy some of this unique ice cream, which was covered with sweet puffed balls of... something... I'm not quite sure what, but it was good. There was also an ice cream with soy sauce and green onions that was supposed to be udon flavored, but unfortunately I couldn't bully the hubby into trying it.

It was a great trip, and now I've got a new sewing project on my table:

I should follow my mantra of one project at a time not only in sewing but in blogging also, because I have yet to blog about my last project yet keep mentioning it. I've been revamping my blog layout and enjoying my mini vacation too much to do so. Do'h! Soon, I promise!

Jammies, Plants, and a Phone Cover

Well kids, the school year's over here and next week starts a new one. I've been feeling a bit crafty with the change of seasons and the sudden free time I've gotten.
First, I finished a sewing project I started in the fall, but thanks to honeymoon/school/life, put off for a long time. I'm a firm believer in only having 1 project at a time when it comes to sewing clothes, otherwise with my fickle attitude, I'd never finish anything. Since I'm still a beginner, sometimes I have to put something down and return to it with a fresh state of mind when I don't quite understand the directions. Lo and behold, I finished a set of manly yet cozy flannel pajamas, just in time for warmer sleeping weather. I can't wait to shed the poofy fleece marshmellow jammies I currently wear for the sake of warmth and wear these.

See what I mean about them not being at all girly?

Next I bought some new plants to freshen up my tiny, yardless apartment. Last year I grew basil and chives, two really easy edible plants. This year I stepped up and bought a strawberry plant and parsley, which are currently taking shelter from the chilly air in my makeshift greenhouse of a window, next to my Ikea cacti. 

No, that's not my car outside the window.

Last, I just finished a project I stumbled upon online. I've been in the market for a new iphone case, but am turned off by the designs and prices of what's available. I found an iphone case you can cross stitch, and even though my embroidery knowledge is pretty much non-existant, it looked simple enough because it came with a book. The book had directions and some simple pattern designs (here's the book and case set, sorry it's in Japanese). I didn't really like any in the book, so I laid out some graph paper and made my own design. It turned out pretty kitschy and cheezy, but I like it. The great part about it is, when I get sick of it, I can take out the stitches and make a new design. Maybe my next design will be a tribute to 8-bit gaming like Mario. 

The girliest phone cover, brought to you by the girl in the manliest pajamas.

I've got a little more time left in my spring break, so I'm off to go find my next crafty project. Will report in again soon!