From K - Wiksten Tova

Over the weekend I was browsing through a past post about traveling handmade and I realized that I showed you a sneak peek of my Wiksten Tova, but then I didn't actual blog about it after. Today I'm going to rectify that slip by showing you the full garment, because honestly, I feel bad having led you on all this time (shame on me, tsk tsk).

I made this tank specifically for a spring break vacation in the sun, and it fit in my wardrobe like a dream. It pairs well with denim shorts, is comfortable over a bikini, and has just enough tailoring to wear out to supper without feeling like a beach bum.

I cut out a size medium to accommodate my chest but that resulted in me spending hours making alterations. In the end, I took off 2 inches along each side seam and another 3 in the back (7 total - eek!). I do feel like the bib fits me well as a medium, but reconstructing the sides, back and collar left me pretty exhausted. I'd like to try this pattern again, but next time I'll take my chances with the bib, and I'll cut out a smaller size.

In order to reduce extra fabric from the back, I made something of a French seam down the middle of the back, and topped it off with some pretty stitching (before I added the collar). It's a small detail but I really like the effect.

In total I probably spent 5x more effort on this project than an average sewist because of the sheer number and complexity of the alterations - did I mention I also added darts and hemmed the bottom twice? Yah that happened. Why I didn't simply recut my pieces I'll never know. I learned a ton on this project and for that I am grateful, but next time there is going to be a muslin. Lesson learned!

From K - Still Swooning

Over the past couple of weeks I have been able to polish off the last 6 blocks for my swoon quilt (you can check out my first three blocks here). In the process, I definitely learned how these mega sized blocks capture the hearts of many.

They're a little bit addictive... I kind of want to make more already! I'm keeping this post light on words and heavy on pictures so scroll on and enjoy.

  

I heart piles of swoon blocks. I'm excited to sash these together in the next few days. I'm having a hard time right now with the layout though. For you fellow swooners out there, is choosing a layout a common struggle?

 

Linking up to WiP Wednesday over at Freshly Pieced.

From A - Eucalypt Tank on the Fly

The two Wiksten tanks I made last Fall have been in near constant wardrobe rotation. They are great for layering and are generally cute and easy to wear. For the last few months I've been wanting to add a few more tanks to the rotation and not wanting to look like I had 12 of the same top in different fabrics, I have been on the hunt to find some other sewn tank options.

This weekend I used Megan Nielsen's Eucalypt pattern to whip up another option to my limited wardrobe using one of the prints from Sarah Watson's Indian Summer collection. Love this fabric and I have even cut out another project from my leftover scraps.

I cut a straight size medium and found it to be a pretty good fit. My only complaints would be that I find it a bit snug in the hips and that the armholes are pretty gapey on me (visible in the photo below). Although the hips seem like an easy fix, I'm not really sure what you would do about the armhole gaping...suggestions?

I love the neckline on the this. The almost v-neck scoop is very flattering and I like that it is scooped in the back as well. I am also a HUGE fan of the facing technique Megan has you use for the neckline and armscye. It looks very professional, more so than any other technique I have used.

A few people in the blog-o-verse have mentioned that the armscye on this top is cut too low (enough people that Megan even posted a tutorial on her blog on how to raise them). I didn't find this to be a problem for me and since I couldn't find very many clear shots of what all the fuss was about online, I'm going to leave you with a photo of my armpit so you can judge for yourself (don't look so shocked...it was bound to happen eventually).

Happy Tuesday!!