My completed SWAP. I am going to present it the way the sewing bloggers do. Yep, only sewing here today. if you come for the family news or philosophical ramblings, then move along.
Like all the serious SWAPmeisters, I have strewn the garments all over my piano for their group shot.
No, really, they put them on their garment racks, dress forms, and sewing tables.
I guess they just don’t have a piano.
#1, jacket
Kwik Sew 3334, of gray microfiber with vintage buttons from the flea market
I followed this pattern exactly, and found the directions very clear.
The shank of one of the buttons has broken, so I will have to replace them all. Sad news, but that is what happens when you get your buttons at the flea market.
Butterick 4467, of burgundy paisley cotton from Keepsake Quilting
Truthfully, quilting cotton isn’t the best thing to make clothes from. Nonetheless, I love the skirt, and the top is okay, though I feel dowdy in it. It was a learning experience.
McCall’s 3740, of gray microfiber
I made plenty of errors putting these together, but I still like to wear them. I plan to make more of these. Preferably without the errors.
McCall’s 4950, of gray microfiber
This was a very easy skirt, and great to wear.
#6, skirt
Simplicity 5914, of burgundy wool gabardine from Fashion Fabric Club
This is a great skirt. I made a “wearable muslin” of this, and we also made one for #2 daughter, and all have turned out very well. This would be a TNT pattern for me. I also love the fabric. It is light weight for year-round wear, and very luxurious.
McCall’s 4261, of burgundy interlock knit
Another TNT pattern.
Kwik Sew 3093, of blue cotton interlock knit
Yet another TNT pattern. Wow! I have quite a list of them.
#9 and #10, tops
Butterick 4467, of blue microfiber
McCall’s 4261, of charcoal cotton sweater knit
These two were learning experiences. The gray one was where I learned the wonders of hem tape. The blue was the one where I had to redo the darts three times and the sleeves twice — and I am thinking that I may redo the sleeves again, now that I am better at set-in sleeves.
This is Elsebeth Lavold’s “Jasmine”, from her Summer Breeze Collection. I made a couple of these, and may make more.
This of course was knitted rather than sewn.
And I am including this purse, which is loosely based on McCall’s 5198, and works well with my SWAP. I made it from a motheaten lambswool sweater, severely felted, and lined it with the gray microfiber from the suit.
This is not really how the SWAP mavens present their SWAPs. Their remarks on the items say things like “I made a FBA and morphed the sleeves.” I tried.
Actually, I am impressed with how much I learned in the course of this project. My later pieces are much better than my earlier ones. And the Sewing With a Plan idea really works — all the pieces work together, and I have lots of outfits to choose from. I can do conservative things like a skirted gray suit with a silky blue blouse, or more surprising things like the peach sweater with the burgundy paisley skirt, or casual things like the pants with the turtleneck.
So I am going to plan my SWAP Stage II. And, if you have toyed with the idea of doing a SWAP yourself, I can recommend it.
Gratz!
I adore that purse. Great job! Learning to sew is on my incredibly long list of Things That Would Make My Life More Fulfilling.
That is a real acheivement! Be proud of yourself!
So that’s what a piano is good for!
I’m impressed. Your garments look beautiful and hang just perfectly. I always do weird things to the seams so they don’t lay in the right direction- because I start to rush and don’t pay enough attention.
You can’t imagine how impressed I am; everything you made is elegant and beautiful … and impressive. I took sewing in high school, long long ago, as part of “Home Economics,” and distinguished myself by managing to sew the [very simple] skirt that was the assignment together across the entire hemline. That’s as far as I got with machine sewing. And then at one point I acquired a husband who didn’t bother with patterns …. if I saw something I liked in a store he’d just look at it, nod, and go home and sew one for me. It’s hard to compete with that sort of thing.
Congratulations! Great job! Did you notice my overuse of exclamation points? Sorry. I’m just quite thrilled with your sewing achievement.
I am very impressed.
Wish me luck. I am lining some pants today.
Wow! Congratulations on all that sewing. It is a job well done! 🙂
Wow! Great Bag!!! I found a great pattern at and made a few at Christmas…